The Veil
by L.M. Keck
Summary: Hannah Porter is a latent wolf dealing with the fallout from her failed marriage and crumbling health. When friends step in to help her out, she is thrown into the arms of the vampire king. Forced to conceal her identity, motives, and growing feelings for Elijah Drake, if she hopes to survive.


_ Prologue_

_"Why?" he asked me with a look of horror and anger on his face. His breath was coming in angry pants, billowing out around his face in the chilly night air. _

_ "I..." I tried to answer him but I couldn't make any sounds. There was hardly anything coming in or out of my lungs. There was the sensation of panic, of my cells protesting the lack of air. It was something primal, something so basic in me that reacted to the lack of oxygen and I fought to keep myself from thrashing around like a fish out of water._

_ I knew this was it for me, and it was enough just to get to share it with him. "Eli," I rasped, and he looked at me again, like he was unsure of what he should do. He reached out to me and then pulled his bloodied hands back. I opened my mouth and closed it again, hearing the wheeze that came out instead of words. I wanted to tell him, I wanted to say it to him, to hear the words aloud one last time._

_ He could sense it was impossible for me to talk, and he finally scooped me up off the ground. I was cradled in his lap like a child, he gently placed my head on his shoulder and discreetly pinned my arms down to my sides. I was sure he could see the way my eyes looked, and understood how hard I was trying to control myself. I was relieved at the feeling of being locked in his embrace, I wanted to keep some dignity and end this life in peace._

_ I looked into his eyes, and I found the panic ease. I could feel my body surrender to the feeling of dying, it was like a wave of cool water pouring over my hot face. I wasn't fighting it anymore, the last of my reflexes giving in to what was happening. I couldn't fight anymore, I had been fighting for so long and my body was weary. I relaxed visibly, and this must have triggered something in him because he tensed under me. He scanned my face, and while I could see his lips moving I couldn't understand what he was saying. I realized it wasn't in English._

_ I could see two walls of black starting to crowd my peripheral vision, I reached a hand up and cupped his face. He was yelling something now over his shoulder to someone, he was still speaking his native tongue and I couldn't understand any of it. I liked the timber of his voice, the low vibrations hummed through my tired body. I turned his head to me and just before I lost my sight and his face faded into blackness, I heard him roar my name._

Chapter 1

I woke up, gasping and gagging in horror at my dream. I breathed deeply, greedily, as I tried to shake off its lingering effects. I couldn't remember anything about it, but I had the same one over the past two months. It always left me waking up without air, the feeling of death and loss clung to me like a pungent smell. I laid back down and tried to breathe through the panic, reminding myself I was alive.

I shook myself off and started my usual routine, which really only consisted of one unwavering element. Coffee. I stretched out in my king size bed, it was one of the few luxuries I hadn't already sold. I let my arms and legs extend all the way out, flexing my muscles and feeling the burning pleasure course through my body. I sat up and readjusted my ponytail which had loosened and drooped to the point it was half way down the length of my thin blond hair.

Making my way down to the kitchen of my apartment would have been amusing, had anyone been there to see it. I looked like a drunken sailor, bouncing off the walls of the hallway like a pinball.

As I was using the bathroom, I heard the beep of the coffee maker and I almost sprinted to the kitchen to make a cup. I tried to ignore the growing ache in my hip that seemed to be getting worse with each coming dawn. I really needed to cut back on my mileage, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Not yet. I opened my front door and grabbed the gazette from the welcome mat.

"I saved that from being snatched by Mr. Grover, Hannah, you owe me some cookies for that one. I had to wrestle him for it this time," Sondra told me when she saw my head pop out. Mr. Grover was infamous for stealing papers in the morning, and not giving them up without a fight.

"Macadamia nut?" I asked her smiling. I knew the answer but she nodded enthusiastically at me.

"Bring them over when Steven takes the kids out to the game on Sat night, maybe I will get some this time," she whispered at me with a wink. Those boys stole every last morsel of sweets they could, and she let them.

I could hear Steven bellow, "I head that Sond!" as he laughed through the squeals of her two sons. I rolled my eyes and shut the door. I was really thankful to her for saving the paper, I loved having this time to slow down and read the gazette.

My friends teased me endlessly for still reading something as antiquated as an actual newspaper. They usually whipped out their iPAD's to show me the latest app they used to catch up with the news. I knew they were more likely to read the tabloids than the times, but I let them have their moment to seem worldly. Everyone has a vice, and the steaming cup of caffeine in front of me proved I was no different.

I looked out the window when I was done, it had taken me longer than normal to go through the whole paper because I spent most of my time clipping coupons and searching for the best deals on the things I needed. I put the stack near my growing pile of mail and scowled at it, hoping it might retreat in fear. It did no such thing. I rifled through it ignoring the vast majority of unpleasant looking envelopes, all the ones marked 'urgent' or 'requires immediate attention' were turned face down.

I ignored the pile of bank statements altogether, I didn't need to know how my once substantial nest egg was now reduced to pennies. I was going to have to find a serving job soon. I hadn't done it since college, and I doubted I had the body to pull off my old gig. I might just have to suck it up and try, I told myself, when I realized I would have to pay either the water or the gas bills for the month, but not both.

As I usually did when my worries threatened to invade my mind, I got my running clothes from my drawer, filling up a mug of coffee for the road and headed out.

It took me only ten minutes to reach the trail head. This park was far off the road, almost nestled in a subdivision, so it was usually only frequented by serious runners and the dedicated Asian power walkers. Those ladies could kick my ass, one should never underestimate a power walker with the dedication to walk every single day, regardless of the weather.

This morning though it was teeming with cross country runners from the local high school, and I felt the nerves hit my stomach at seeing Gray again. No matter how much time had passed, he brought up so many powerful memories for me that it never got easier to see him. I had managed to avoid him so far this week, but I loved running too much to back down just because he was here this morning. Time was now more my enemy than my friend and I didn't have the luxury to be turning down runs.

I parked and walked around to the trunk of my old beat up Subaru, opening it and sitting on the bumper to put my muddy shoes on. I took my time lacing them so they were nice and tight, since my hip was bothering me I hoped it would give me some more stability and I could get through a full run. I was approaching thirty and I swear I could feel it in every joint and muscle.

I must not have taken long enough getting ready because I still caught up with Gray at the picnic shelter at the start of the five mile trail. He was surrounded by a gaggle of kids. It seemed impossible but they looked younger every year, even though I knew I was the one that was changing, I still claimed it was them. Gray looked in his element, he was laughing and speaking with each kid, an encouraging smile on his lips as he spoke. He was their coach, but all the guys looked up to him like an older brother.

Grayson wasn't particularly tall, reaching just about six feet. While his height wasn't remarkable his body and face were anything but ordinary. He had golden blond hair, which looked good no matter what he was doing or how much he was sweating. Why do the guys get the good hair genes?

He had whisky colored eyes, they were swirling pools of different light browns, not quite hazel but they had some green undertones in them as well. I could swear they almost glowed in the sunlight today when he locked them on my own. He had a dimpled chin, and strong high cheekbones that would make any model envious. Even with the crescent shapes scar that graced his left eye, he was gorgeous. Considering we grew up together, I could tell the story of every scar that graced his face, including that one. I might have put the majority of them there myself.

Aware of his eyes tracking me, I came up the paved path to where the gravel began. I gave him a small wave, and he returned it, giving me a huge smile which was his standard greeting. I noticed some of the young men elbow each other. It was the same scene every summer since I began coming here. Certainly I was a sight for them, I did not have the slight and slender build of their female teammates. I had a full bust and ass that neither diet nor exercise could erase. I had to wear two sports bras just to feel comfortable. Even though my method worked, I knew how they bounced, and spotting me on the trail must be exciting to their

"Hey Hannah, you running with us today?" one of the boys asked me. It was Brian, looking older by the day, and it reminded me that I had been running out here with him for nearly four years now. He always looked to Gray like he wanted to be just like him, there was a kind of hero worship in his eyes that only increased over time. It was clear this year he was starting to look more like a man, the boyishness of his face and cheeks was hardening away. I felt jealous of his youth, of all of the time and opportunity that was laid in front of him. It was one of the reasons I liked coming out here, despite the sadness it often brought me.

"Yeah, but you have to go easy on this old woman and pass me quietly, so as not to damage my fragile ego!" I said to him, emphasizing a fake southern accent as I placed a hand over my heart and pretending to faint. I was feeling like I was dragging today, even as I joked about it, but I shrugged it off. I was used to running though the aches and pains, being an old lady and all.

"Oh, you're the same age as me Han so stop being dramatic. If you really pushed it you could keep up with the front pack," Grey said as he waved off my attempts at being flippant. The thing was, I couldn't keep up with them, but there was no way to tell him that without telling him everything.

"Grayson Yost, I am a whole three months older than you. Plus, I have a fake I.D. somewhere in storage that says I should be about sixty by now," I said, bending down to fix my laces again. "That makes me your elder, and I demand respect." It was so easy to banter with him, no matter how long it was since I last saw him it was always an effortless relationship. Even despite the history we shared, I couldn't deny myself of him.

He made a face to suggest he was going to throw another barb my way, but I held up and finger and put my headphones in, blasting my guilty pleasure of some WuTang into my ears. I may look and sound like country, but I was a rap girl at heart.

"Can't hear you Gray! I'll see you out there," I yelled out to him dramatically, even though I could hear him just fine. He flipped me a small finger when he thought no one was looking. I laughed and headed out feeling the familiar pounding of the trail under my feet.

I started off down my favorite trail. It was a natural 5K run that the park department built when I was still in school. I loved every inch of it and knew it like the back of my hand, every turn and hill I had explored. Continuing up a hill, I felt some sharper pains down my hip but as I simply changed my pace it seemed to subside. I closed my eyes on a straight pass that I knew well, letting the sun that was peeking through the trees fall on my face. The contrast of the techno beats in my ears, and the nature all around me, sent my senses into overdrive. It was magical for me out here, and a part of me wondered if I liked running so much because me DNA trying to make up for what it failed to give me from my parents.

I didn't want to think about it, but I kept waiting to see Gray's face around every turn. I kept waiting to catch a glimpse of him laughing, of him teaching his kids, like I usually did when they went about their workout. He loved coaching so much, and it showed. The thought of him seeing me, and my much slower pace than usual, made me pick up my speed so he wouldn't suspect anything was wrong. I was cresting another hill when the pain in my leg sent a wave of unsteadiness through my body, and I felt myself fall before I could even hope to stop myself.

The next thing I remember, Grayson's eyes were hovering a short distance from my own, inspecting me thoroughly. I blinked rapidly trying to shake off the feeling of disorientation that had addled my brain. I opened them again and saw that he had a panicked and relieved expression on his face as he reached out to cup my face. He was scanning my eyes with his, and I could feel him reaching for the pulse on my wrist. Hardly believing this was happening, I pinched my thigh to no avail. This wasn't a dream.

I could hear the whispers of his students behind him. They were keeping a respectable distance but the idea of an audience had me feeling uncomfortable. I wasn't in a position to argue with them to leave, outside of the fact that bring rude to them wouldn't make this situation any better, I knew it was my own fault. I

"What the hell Hannah?" Gray asked me when he noticed I was fully awake now. I held my hand out and he helped me up to a sitting position in the grass. I had landed just beside the section of trail that ran up above the creek. I looked over the edge and shuddered at the drop, surrendering my head to land between my legs. I pulled my running shoes off and flexed my feet, feeling the pain that was raiding from my left hip snake its way up and down the battered limb down to my toes and right back up again.

"Well at least you know how lucky you are," said the voice of a paramedic as he reached where we were all gathered and gestured towards the fall I narrowly missed. He was a bit on the chubby side but didn't look terribly winded at having to hike so far to get to us. His partner was a giant of a woman, and she looked at me to the growing crowd with sympathy. As she was making a move to push them back, I stopped her by waving it off.

"It's fine, they're…friends," I said with hesitation. I didn't so much want an audience but for safety it was important for them to know how to act around someone who had an accident like this on the trail. It would be a good lesson for them if they ever encountered it again. She raised an eyebrow at my mention of them as friends, and I let out a small laugh. Why yes, I do hang out with thirty sixteen year old boys on a regular basis. She found Gray, recognizing he was most likely in charge, and nodded her head at him.

"How long has she been out?" she asked Gray.

"I found her," Brian spoke up. "She's been out going on thirty minutes now," he said checking his watch. I tried to give the kid a reassuring smile but he remained stoic.

The paramedics stepped forward now and did their song and dance, checking my breathing and heart rate. They said my blood pressure was low, but they explained that wasn't terribly unusual for someone who had passed out.

"I didn't pass out," I corrected her. "I fell. My leg gave out on the hill and I think I must have hit my head somewhere along the way," I told Mike the other paramedic whose name tag was right in my face as he took the blood pressure cuff off.

"Your leg? I thought you just fainted?" Gray asked sounding concerned, and I noticed that Brian had flanked him on the other side with the same look of worry on his face. He was a good kid, I thought to myself. Most of the other boys looked terribly out of place, but he kept calm.

"Are you on any medications," Mike asked me as he probed my head, looking for cuts and bumps. His partner Claire, so her name badge also indicated, was starting an IV of fluids as he was assessing me. The saline would help, but I didn't know how to tell them dehydration wasn't my problem. I took a deep breath before I answered, I would need it.

"Yes, I currently am on Etopisode. I take oxy or percoset for pain but they made me too fuzzy to use often. There is Lunesta for sleep, and Zoloft for...well you know what that's for." I don't think I had ever heard the forest seem so silent. No one was talking. I looked to the boys, and to Gray, but they weren't saying much.

"Any pain here?" Claire asked, and I was thankful to break up the tension as she manipulated my hip. I twitched where she hit the sore spot, a soft hiss escaping my lips. It was a soft protrusion that was coming from the area of my hip socket. I knew what it was, I didn't need to pay an enormous amount for Dr. Reece to tell me that either. Not that I had said money to give him anyhow. I gave her a look, she paled a little and then left me alone. I knew she understood and I was glad for having been spared the explanation out loud.

"Has it been like this for long?" Claire asked me softly as she check my IV bag squeezing it gently to check the volume.

"It just popped up in the past couple of weeks, I started to really hurt the last couple of days," I told her, as she gave my hand a sympathetic squeeze. It wasn't from pity but from understanding, so I accepted it without comment.

I saw Gray looked confused at first and then he reeled back, like someone had struck him. He was shaking his head back and forth, like if he did it enough what he was seeing would change. I saw Brian snake an arm out hand and grab his elbow making a 'get it together' look, and then turned back to me with a cool expression. This was definitely a good kid.

"What is going on Han?" Gray asked, crouching down to look at me in the eyes. I had avoided this as long as I could, I never wanted to lie to him, and I sure as hell wasn't ashamed of what was happening to me, but it was still hard. When I didn't answer right away his jaw ticked out, and I could see his eyes start to flash.

"The cancer's back Gray, I'm dyin'," I told him with a resigned tone, knowing there was no going back now. My voice didn't shake, my eyes didn't water, and it was surprisingly easy to tell him it. Dealing with the look on his face was a different story. I could see the emotions cross his features, and when it settled on rage I cringed.

"I am going to fucking kill him," he yelled as sprung up punched a tree trunk. He took one more look at me, and ran off towards the trail.

Chapter 2

I knew him, so I understood he didn't mean to offend me by leaving me here, he simply needed time to run off his feelings. It had nothing to do with me, it was in his nature to head out and run when he wanted to think. The boys all looked from his retreating back to me, exchanges glances that were unsure.

"He'll be back, he just needs a minute," I said to Brian as he nodded back to me. He turned and had a conversation with some of the boys in his grade. He was something of their leader so I knew if he felt confident about something, it would trickle down to the rest.

The medics kept tending to me as the rest of the boys relaxed and waited the return of their fearless, or maybe not so fearless, leader to return.

It only took him ten minutes to come running back up to us. I gave him as big a smile as I was capable of, letting him know it didn't bother me that he needed time. Everyone had their way of dealing with things. Gray came back and sat next to me, he didn't say anything but he placed a hand at the back of my neck, collaring my throat from behind. It looked strange to any outsider, but it brought me comfort and reminded me of a time that he could protect me from everything. He used to do it all the time when we were younger, and it brought me right back to those feeling of being looked out for. It felt really nice, I had to admit.

"Do I need to tell you that you shouldn't be out here running at all, no less out here running alone?" Claire asked me, a pointed look on her face.

"Yeah, I was hoping to sneak another week in before I couldn't anymore," I told her, I knew better than to push it this time, but I really loved this trail.

"Any other areas bothering you?" she asked back. I sighed a little, I should just say it and get it over with.

"My lower leg, same one, and the shoulder joint on the other side a little, that just started this week though," I said for the first time feeling a little exposed. I felt Gray's hand get tighter on my neck. It was spreading fast, I knew it and he did too. It was supposed to fill me with shame that everyone knew my business, but it didn't bother me really. At some point, shame becomes wasted energy that I just couldn't afford.

"I am going to suggest you come with us, and I have a feeling you are going to refuse, but I do ask that you get a ride home. Driving after that fall is not a good idea," Mike said to me smiling. There was no way I was going with him, he was right. I had tried to discreetly explain to them that I had no insurance whilst Grayson was running. Mike knew what an ambulance ride cost, and he knew I had no choice but to refuse.

I returned his smile and nodded my head, agreeing with his assessment but promising to be careful. Claire removed the IV line, putting a band aid on it with some gauze to stop the bleeding.

Mike returned a bit later with some paperwork to sign, and when I was done we said goodbye to the medics. To their credit they didn't return my handshakes with looks of pity. I took a deep breath after they left, and closed my eyes for a second enjoying the peaceful sounds of the forest around me. I was so tired, and I felt every bit of what this moment cost me as it settled into my bones.

I finally opened them, and I looked to Gray for the first time in a while, offering him my hand. He jumped up and helped me to my feet. As soon as I felt myself get upright, he had scooped me up and was walking towards the way I came, back to the parking lot. His hoard of teenagers were following dutifully behind him. I was, at this point, glad it was so early that there was virtually no one else out here but us. We all looked ridiculous.

Once we reached the shelter, he put me down at the picnic table and made me drink two full sports drinks. I didn't need any more after the IV, but he didn't look like he wanted to be denied so I went with it anyway. It was sweet but it was making me nervous because it looked like he was stalling me. I think he just wanted to spend some more time fussing over me instead of letting me on my way.

Brian came over, after retreating to his car, and brought me a sweatshirt and a blanket. I pulled it on gratefully and then spread out the blanket on the grass near the table.

"Everyone carry on," I told them smiling as I curled up in the shade. "Gray won't leave me until practice is over and I could use a nap so get going." Everyone looked around unsure of what to do.

"Grayson!" I yelled at him noticing his lack of decision, "stop fussing and put them through their work out! I'm not going anywhere and when you're done you can drive me home." He looked at me skeptically but he must have seen my serious face and decided to do what I asked.

He began barking orders, grouping them up strategically as he sent them on their way on various trails. I saw Brian hesitate a little, but he went off with this own group, leaving me and Gray alone.

"Stop hanging over me Gray, do what you need to do I'm just going to close my eyes a little," I told him as I felt him kneel next to me, studying my face like it would tell him something that I hadn't. I reached out and squeezed his hand reassuringly. He must have been appeased nothing else was going to happen to me, because I heard him get up and sit, still very close to me, on the bench to work. I felt myself drift off to the sounds of the woods, the beat of runner's feet, and the rustling of papers.

_When I opened my eyes again, I found myself in a classroom. I could be wrong, but it oddly looked just like my old high school. A quick survey of my surrounds confirmed it, it was definitely a room I had been in before. I was so confused, but then I realized I must have been dreaming. I felt almost weightless here. It felt so nice to feel light, not weighed down by life._

_I surveyed the room, but there seemed to be nothing odd within it. Looking down to see what I was wearing, I was hoping that it wasn't the stereotypical 'naked in public' dream. I was relieved to find that I was dressed, even if it was on the inappropriate side. It was a long nightgown, one of the only finer pieces of sleepwear I owned. Black and silk, trimmed in nude colored lace, the piece had a thigh high slit that showed off my leg. Unfortunately the slit also exposed my scar, and I ran my finger down the foot and a half deep groove that graced that part of my leg. It was a particularly ugly one, I could see all the suture marks that dotted the sides of the deep valley. It was the spot where they had removed part of my femur to cut out the cancer that had invaded my bone. _

_I stopped fussing over the scar, and I noticed there was no other people here. With nothing happening in this room, I wandered out into the hallway. This was also devoid of any people, but what drew my eye was the decoration. There were streamers and banners covering the ceiling and the walls, I don't think I could see a single part of uncovered wall. Handmade posters littered the lockers, and as I walked in my bare feet I could feel the heavy glitter that was spread over the floor crunch under my heels._

_Pretty green and gold balloons dotted in between the streamers. It must be for a dance, I thought to myself, as I followed the decorations down the hall. I could see two open doors, propped to each side to remain that way, with soft sparkly lights casting interesting projections onto the floor. As I got closer to the end I could hear music pouring out, deep pulsing beats that seemed too wild for a school dance. I stopped just shy of the opening, feeling suddenly cautious. I wasn't sure what was going on in there, and I felt like I needed to be careful._

_I peeked around to get a look at what was happening. The whole gym was packed with people, even the tables and chairs on the side of the dance floor were filled with people. I scanned several faces, and I was pleased when recognized nearly all of them. They were all members of my clan. Well, members of my former clan that is. There were some that I didn't recognize, but I felt that for the most part I knew the majority of them._

_Feeling much better about going in now, even though in the back of my mind I knew I shouldn't, I made my way in. Most of my clan cut me out of their lives when my father did, and some had been downright mean to me over the years. I looked around at the faces again, in the hopes of spotting Gray and James. I couldn't find them out there and it was the one thing that was keeping me from going in to check out the party. It was a dream I reminded myself, I could do what I wanted. _

_I was just about to go in when I saw a man and woman, arms linked at the hands, running out of the doors and past me down the hallway. They turned around and slammed the doors closed behind them. They had startled me so much that I fell down to the ground and I landed with half of me behind a trash can. They didn't even seem to notice me at all._

_I looked back to the two that were running, noticing that they were dressed immaculately, him in an expensive tuxedo, and she in a sparkling gold evening dress. They looked so out of place here, I couldn't take my eyes off them. Her fire red hair was streaming behind her, and his striking dark hair was gleaming in the florescent lights. They rounded the far corner and disappeared from sight._

_I stood up, trying to shake off the weird feeling I was having. I was suddenly anxious, and a bit scared. I looked to the doors, but they were closed. When I looked to the ground I noticed that there was a stronger light coming from under the door and it was throwing and almost orange glow on the tiles. I knelt down and I noticed there was a strong smell permeating the air as smoke began slowly oozing out. _

_Everything that was happening hit me in an instant, and I jerked back covering my mouth with my hand. The room was on fire, and they were all stuck in there. I felt my pulse quicken and my breathing was coming out in pants. I needed to do something, I couldn't let them all die in there, not like that. I struggled with the doors to open them, but they seemed to be stuck somehow. I was pulling with all my might on them, trying not to think of the fact that Gray and James could be in there. I kept pulling but nothing was happening, the doors wouldn't budge. _

_I looked down the hallway left and right, looking for something to help me. I ran to where I saw a fire alarm, pulling the lever all the way down. To my complete dismay nothing happened, and jerking it a few more times didn't seem to help at all. I looked around again, and found an extinguisher along with an ax a few yards from me. It was encased in glass and I was unsure how I was going to break it without hurting myself. I was running out of time though, so I just used my elbow and threw all my strength into the blow. The glass shattered and I reached in without checking what was going on with my arm. I didn't need the distraction._

_I ran back with the axe, and it was impossible for me not to notice the wetness that was dripping of my left arm. I tried my best to ignore it as I reached the doors and hefted the axe. I swung again and again on the juncture of the door that held the lock and handles. I felt like I was making progress as I hacked at the wood, it was slow, but I could see I was putting a dent in it. I felt some of the smoke and heat escaping from the hole I was making. I kept swinging and hitting my target, over and over again, ignoring the blisters that were ripping open in my hands. _

_I stopped abruptly when I noticed the doors popped open. I threw the axe to the ground, grimacing when the sound of it echoed off the hard floor and I surged forwards to open them. When I pushed through the entrance, it was like stepping into a different world. There was no trace of smoke, or fire, or heat. The gym was clean and pristine, with no traces of anyone having been here. No less a school dance or a massive fire. _

_I continued walking through the gymnasium, stopping just shy of the middle circle that contained the school emblem. It was a Seminole warrior, outlined by a large graphic of the sun. I noticed vaguely that it looked different than I remembered it. There was a swell of red color coming from the outside of the circle, inching its way slowly towards the very center. I bent down, mesmerized by the colors. I dipped my hand down to touch it and noticed it was wet, the recognition of what it was hit me so hard I fell to my knees. I checked my elbow, but while it was still dripping blood, it wasn't enough to cause that much accumulation at my feet._

_As I frantically looked around, I found that the whole floor was now covered in blood, it was rippling and shimmering in the overhead lighting making it seem sentient, almost alive. I tried to half walk, half run back towards the doors but I slipped. My nightgown was covered in blood, and the weight of it was startling. I could feel the panic rising in my body, I could feel myself losing a piece of sanity as I struggled here to get away. My breaths were too shallow, and my thoughts too frantic to last much longer without passing out. I had panic attacks like these before, when I first got diagnosed and I knew what would happen. I closed my eyes and tried to ride the wave, and thankfully it pushed me unconscious once more._

"When was the last time you talked to her?" I heard Gray ask in a clipped tone.

I was hovering in that state right before you wake up, where it's almost impossible to move but you are aware of what is going on. I remember my dream and shuddered at the memory, trying to shake off the panic feeling that was still sticking with me. It was so absurd, I shouldn't still feel shaken by it but there was a dangerous and real undertone to it that left me feeling anxious.

I heard some angry voices once more, I knew I should sit up and look around. The proper thing to do was to let them know I was awake, but it felt so nice lying here. Plus if I did that, I couldn't snoop on what, or who, had Gray so upset.

"When was the last time you talked to her?" I heard Gray ask in an angrier tone once again.

When I heard the next person talk, I was incredibly glad I hadn't made my presence known. I felt all the blood drain out of my face. I couldn't believe he had shown up, I didn't even hear Gray call him.

"I'm not sure, it was right before the holidays I think. She asked me to release the last of her retirement fund but we didn't talk much," Jameson said. He sounded a little confused as to why Gray was asking this, and I knew from Gray's tone he was in for it.

I squinted a little, barely opening one eye to see where they were. Their voices didn't sound close so I figured they were some distance away, safe enough to get a peek. I hadn't seen him in a while, and James as usual didn't disappoint.

Jameson was Gray's twin, they were fraternal but so similar that most thought the two of them were identical. They shared the same features but Jameson's hair was a bit darker than Gray's blond. It made his eyes seem a little more hazel and brown, and more mysterious than the bright ones Gray had. James still played rugby, as he had in high school, and it made his frame broader than Gray's lean runner's body. He sure did look good, I thought to myself.

The three of us had grown up together, the only semi adjusted kids to have been raised in our exclusive community. Now, we were more like strangers than friends. With Gray it was too hard to be around him, after everything that happened. With James it hurt simply to look at him because he was my ex-husband, and things between us were complicated at best.

"Well, do you ever talk anymore? Did she say anything to you when you spoke last?" Gray asked, getting angrier by the second. I could see his face getting red and that vein in his forehead was popping out. I had to stifle an inappropriate giggle, he always was so quick to wind up.

"Why do you care so much all of a sudden Grayson?" He must have seen the look on his brother's face and stopped antagonizing him to get to the point of why he was so upset. "You know what, it doesn't matter. No, we didn't talk much last time. Hannah asked to have some funds available to travel, but she kept the conversation short. You know we don't talk at all anymore," Jameson told him.

When I heard one of them move towards me I snapped my eyes closed and continued to pretend I was sleeping. I felt a little bad about it, but I was far too curious about where this conversation was going. I heard them approach, far enough away so that they didn't disturb me, but close enough Jameson could see me now. I heard his sharp intake of breath at the sight of me curled up on the ground.

"What is she doing out here?"

"She fell out here, her leg gave out," Gray said, his voice laden with meaning.

"What do you mean her leg…" he began saying and then stopped his thought abruptly. "No," I heard him say. It almost sounded like he was talking a few steps back. I had to hide a flinch, I didn't like being looked at like this.

"Yeah, it's back James. How could you not know this? You're divorced but that doesn't mean you have to shut her out. Her parents don't give a shit about her, her friends are gone, and we are all she has." I didn't hear a response from Jameson. I didn't want him to find out like this, but sometimes life just hands you a shitty hand when you least expect it. It was the story of my life.

"We don't talk because I respect her enough not to drag my life out in front of her. She doesn't talk to me either Gray, it goes both ways." I could hear his brothers snort in response.

"That may be, but this is different Jameson," Gray said to him.

"How bad?" I heard Jameson blurt out. When his brother didn't readily answer I knew he understood.

"Fuck," James said. "Did you just find out, or have you known?" he snapped out.

"She shut me out years ago too and you know it, so don't go acting like we have some secret friendship. She fell and hit her head during her run, my boys found her lying by the trail out cold. She said her leg gave out and she cracked her head." I heard a sharp exhale of a breath as he more gently said, "she told me she's dying Jameson. We need to take her to him, we have no choice." I heard his words clearly but they didn't make any sense. I was confused, who in the hell were they talking about taking me to?

I could hear Jameson pacing the ground. I waited for someone to break the silence.

"You should have taken her to him years ago, like we talked about," I heard Grayson hiss at his brother.

"What do you think would have happened then, you know the clan forbade it..." he trailed off. I could practically feel the anger coming off of James. Nothing was making sense, they must have wanted to take me to some specialist. Even though I had seen them all, it made me curious who they were talking about. I couldn't image the clan denying my seeing a doctor.

"And you should have told the clan leaders to fuck off!" he roared back.

I sneaked a peek at them to see they were now nose to nose, about ready to fight. I knew I had to do something.

"Take me to whom?" I asked them sitting up and yawning like I had just woken up. They snapped their gazed in my direction, taking a big step back from each other. I smiled a little at James, I don't think we had even been in the same room together for almost a year, maybe longer. I didn't know what to say to him. The sensation is so unnerving when you realize the one person you once knew the most, you actually know the least.

I felt his gaze sweep my features his jaw hardening at what I looked like. I had lost a good deal of weight in the last three months, and I knew my face showed the signs of all the medication I was taking. Add to that the lack of sleep I was getting, and I must have been an arresting sight. His eyes traveled down to my wrists, the twin scars made his face set in a grim line. I was waiting for it, so it didn't hurt as much as it did normally when he gazed at them.

Even though it didn't offend me anymore, I hated that it was one of the first things he checked, I hated that the look of pain in his eyes was from something I did. I could have covered them, I could wear a watch and bracelet to hide them but I wasn't ashamed of them, even if they were a little gruesome. I didn't view them as a scarlet letter, and I had long ago purged my own guilt. Knowing my expiration date had a way of putting things in perspective.

"Take me to whom?" I repeated at them when it was clear no one was going to be talking yet. The shared a glance full of unsaid thoughts, concerns, and questions. It worried me, we never kept things from each other. It was one of the things I loved best about what we once had, even if it hurt, we told each other the truth.

"We are taking you to another...specialist" Grayson said finally, but he offered no explanation other than that. I looked over his shoulder at Jameson who had dropped down to the picnic table, bowing his head and putting it in his hands. Why would seeing another doctor be bad news?

I was about to ask who this mysterious person was, but found myself interrupted by the line of teenage runners that had just made their way back to home base. They almost stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of Jameson here. Jameson was something of a local hero amongst the kids at school. He was the stuff of legends, played every sport, won every game, and did the things they wished they could. He also dated the best girls, I thought smugly to myself. I was once a catch, even if I was a shell of the same person now.

"Hey Jameson," I head Brian shout as he approached. He gave him the same man hug/ handshake that every guy seemed to be born knowing how to do. I knew Brian's older brother and James were still close.

"Hey Brian, it's been a while since I've seen you. How are the college prospects looking?" he asked him. I saw Brian become suddenly lighted with interest at the turn in conversation.

"So far it's the west coast schools that are showing the most interest in me," he said looking proud. He should be, cross country and track scholarships were hard to come by since they weren't big revenue generating sports for the universities.

"You could look into the Midwest, like your good old coach did. How many NCAA titles did you win when you were there?" I asked Gray grinning and nudging him as he was now lounging next to me on the blanket. I noticed his brows were furrowed and his mouth of set in a firm line. I didn't understand what he was so upset about.

"What did I say?" I asked Gray looking to him and James. When the brothers Grimm didn't respond, I had a feeling I had messed up, but I wasn't sure what I had said that was wrong.

"What?" I asked Jameson, he never did like lying to me and I knew he would tell me what I did.

"We all decided to go to Washington State remember Han?" Gray told me looking at me with so much pity I almost slapped him. I hated that look.

"Of course we went to Oklahoma," I said confused, and I could feel my eyebrows scrunched together.

"You and James got in but they didn't accept me, remember?" he told me. I was still trying to recall that.

"When I didn't get in to Oklahoma you waged a formal protest and everything. That was after repeated calls to the dean threatening him bodily harm. When that didn't work you demanded we all go somewhere were the head of the school wasn't mentally incompetent," Gray said to me sounding nostalgic. He was fighting a smile and when he looked back to me his face drained of color.

It didn't match up with my memories, I remembered so clearly when I got my acceptance letter to OU. I could feel how happy I was to get in, to get to share it with the boys. When I looked again to them, they were looking at me with a more heightened concern. When I realized they were looking at me like Dr. Reece, I sensed that there was something wrong.

The doctor had told me at some point my higher faculties would start to go, mainly just my very long term memory. Slowly though, as the cancer progressed, it would get worse. I would have to distance myself from them in the future. I didn't want them to have to witness my decline. I had always planned to spend my final months in a tropical cabana, fanned by the pool boy. At the rate my bank account was going, I was going to be lucky getting a weekend at six flags.

"I guess I must have hit my head harder than I thought huh?" I said, trying to shake off my mental misstep. The poor runners looked like they weren't sure if they should stay or go. Gray and James looked at each other, an alarmed expression gracing their beautiful faces.

Eventually Gray dismissed the boys, setting up their running schedules for the week. Brian came over and said his goodbyes to Jameson, and surprised me by holding out my hand to squeeze. I appreciated that he didn't treat me like I was contagious or made of glass. I thought to myself he must have known someone who had cancer, and I made a mental note to talk to him about it. If I saw him again.

Chapter 3

Finally after the area cleared James strode over, dramatically bending down and scooping me up into his arms. I had flashbacks to our wedding, he must have picked me up a dozen times that day. I had this montage of pictures in my head from then. He was so handsome he took my breath away when I saw him up at the altar.

_"We did it Hannah," he said to me as he carried me out of the old church we got married in. I gave him a kiss, bracing my hands on either side of his face and drinking in his scent. He returned the favor by breathing in my own. I know it calmed him down. This week was far from easy for us._

_"I would stay away from Henry and Lillian at the reception love, they were shooting daggers at us the whole time," I told him as I kissed his cheeks. I laughed despite the morose topic. It should have made me upset that my parents weren't happy for us, but we never had much of a relationship to begin with so for me it was no big loss._

_I felt something snag in my veil and I tried to take it off. Jameson knocked my hand away. "You are going to mess up the crown. I'll sort you out," he said as he untangled the lace of my veil. I hated this crown and what it meant, but I wore it for him. Well that and the clan leaders insisted if we did this whole wedding it would have some traditional elements mixed in._

_"Thanks Jameson," I told him. It wasn't just for the veil but for all the times lately he has stuck by me._

_"My pleasure Han, trust me I'm getting the better end of this deal," he told me sweetly as he carried me out._

_"You're not upset you don't get the full...mating ceremony?" I asked him hesitantly. I was worried he was missing out on something that was his right to take part in as a shifter._

_"Of course not, I'm just glad they listened to me and allowed us this at least." He had pulled every favor he could to allow this marriage ceremony to take place._

_"Well, being appointed the next king does have its benefits does it not?" I asked him suggestively towards the low neckline of my dress. "After you my liege..." I trailed off pointing towards the car. He grinned something feral and threw me in. He stopped before he closed the door and took the time to buckle me in. He ignored my attempts to help, I think being in charge of making sure I was safe made him feel better._

_"You stuck now Han, I'll never let you leave me," he said as he leaned in and kissed my forehead._

I shook myself out of the little daydream. I wondered to myself how long I would have before the cancer took those memories too.

"Hannah, are you listening to me?" James asked me as we walked towards the parking lot. I could hear the footsteps behind us and knew Gray wasn't far behind.

"I was just lost in a memory is all, what did you say again?"

A wolfish grin slid into place, it reminded me of when we were dating, and he said. "Your place or mine?"

I didn't want to alarm Sondra, or any of the other neighbors in my building by having the double mint twins carrying me into my apartment, so I decided we could go to Jameson's. He said he needed some information he had in his office at home, so he thought it would best if we went there.

I felt relieved that I wouldn't have them at my place. If was honest, I was a little afraid for them to see where I was living. I found it nice, even if the area of the city was rough. Considering the place I came from, it would be viewed as an unimaginable step down for me.

In retrospect, it was a horrible idea to put myself in that position of being at his house. I blamed the recent head injury, or the fact that being in close proximity to him left me unable to see logic sometimes. Jameson still lived in the house we once shared, the first house we bought as husband and wife. Returning to the house didn't rattle me too much, I had been in there a few times after our divorce was finalized without melting down. I just hoped I could hold onto these feelings when it came time to go in. At least I had a good five more minutes of driving through the neighborhood before I would have to deal with it.

Jameson lived in a house close to Gray's, located at the end of the gated community we all grew up in. It was a beautiful and terrible place, full of large houses, large money, large gossips, and even larger secrets. The boys were my only solace, and without them I would have gone crazy, or lost it earlier than I did, I should say.

As we passed my parents' house, I felt nothing. I should have felt rage, sadness, outrage, anything other than the apathy that currently ran through me. I felt Gray squeeze my hand from his seat next to me in the back of James' Land Rover. He insisted on sitting with me back here, and I know it was because he understood how loaded coming back here would be for me.

"You talk to Henry or Lillian at all anymore?" he asked me as we approached the house.

"I called to let them know about the cancer coming back, but they still haven't returned my call," I told him in a flat voice. I called twice actually and neither time did they pick up.

"Henry doesn't like talking to us either if it makes you feel better. He knows his time is coming to an end as king and he is dragging it out. He should have stepped down by now but you know Lillian. She won't let it happen." I laughed, it was so typical of them.

"The clan leaders aren't forcing his hand?" I asked him, surprised that they didn't step in and force his hand.

"They will have to soon if he doesn't do anything. People are anxious for a change, living under your father's law for so long has left too many people unhappy for the clan to ignore. I hope he does something really stupid and we can banish him," he said with a ferocious snarl on his face.

I looked to my parent's driveway, both of their cars were there. I had fantasies of charging through the front door and demanding answers, but instead I settled for the more realistic option of finding some peace in the fact I was here with Gray and James. Even if the feeling wasn't the same this time.

We passed by several other houses, finally turning on Jupiter Ct, where the two of them lived now, where I used to live. Their houses were separated by two others, and I smiled remembering the fuss they made when they couldn't buy out the other houses so they could live next to each other. I locked my eyes on Jameson's house as we crossed over and went down the driveway. I saw a familiar red Porsche sitting in the garage, and almost groaned out loud. It wasn't bad enough that I was dying, the universe saw fit to kick me while I was down.

I noticed a flash of horror in the eyes of Jameson as he spotted it too, his jaw going so hard I could see it from here. I could read into that, guessing that he instructed her not to be here, but I could never be sure. I wasn't one to waste time on speculation because it only led to migraines. I took deep breath out. I guess it was time to pull up my reserves of patience, I was going to need it.

I saw Jameson look back at Gray, they shared a look and a nod as he exited the car to go into the house. A little confused, I turned to Grayson, I was assuming he wanted to talk to me before heading in. Or give his brother a head start to deal with his new wife.

"Are you sure you want to talk in there, my inner alarm bells are going off all over the place at the idea of taking you in there Han," he said to me, looking unsure about letting me out of the car. I felt the same, but fuck it. I was dying, and the divorce didn't hurt so much anymore, so what did I have to lose?

I gave his hand a squeeze, "My little apartment isn't suitable for you both and James said he needed to be here. I'm fine Gray, this isn't going to be a picnic for me but I managed the last couple of holidays without incident, so I should be able to handle this." He looked at me like he was going to sweep me up and take me to his house. I interrupted him, "You said this was important, you said this specialist you know could possibly help me. I can take the rest of the stuff, for you and him. I can handle seeing him happy if this means that much to you." I fought back some tears, they weren't much and it wasn't from sadness. It was from realizing she was holding my place there, with him. It was more mournful over losing the position than from being replaced. If you truly love someone, it's possible to get to the place where you wish only happiness, and I had finally gotten to that place with Jameson.

"I have to tell you though," I said to Grayson, knowing I needed to reel him in a bit. "I have been to every doctor I could find that specialized in my form of cancer. I have never been given hope, so you should prepare for the same Gray. You should prepare for it to be bad news." It always was, I thought to myself. I needed him to understand my situation, even if the concept was hard for him to grasp.

He opened his mouth to speak and then shut it closed with an almost audible snap. It startled me a little, and I wondered what he wanted to say to me that he thought he couldn't. When I looked back to him, he was stepping out of the car, and I had to shoo his hand away from carrying me. I would be damned if I was going to be carried in there. I didn't care if I had to crawl my way in, I was going in on my own.

He made me forcefully grab his arm, pinning it to the inside of his elbow like he was escorting me to the prom. I smiled at his chivalry, he was always the gentleman.

"Do you give Lindsay the same kind of treatment?" I asked him referring to his girlfriend. She was one of the sweetest people I had ever known, and the only one I had ever seen him date that was actually worthy. I wanted to tell him I hoped he made it official soon. I wanted to see him get married before I died, but I found those kind of statements made people uncomfortable, so I kept it to myself.

"Of course, how else could I get her to stick around for me?" he replied smirking.

"Oh hush, you know you always were the twin everyone wanted. While most admitted to lusting after Jameson, they secretly wanted the Gray treatment," I teased him nudging his side. When I put pressure on the leg to take another step I felt it give way a little and I tripped though the mud room and into the house. I looked up and realized I was sprawled on my hands and knees of the entry way, with two sets of shoes right in front of me. Way to make an entrance Hannah.

"I thought you had her dickwad," I head Jameson say as he bent down to pick me up off the floor. I swatted his hands away before he had the opportunity to do so. Stumbling a little to my feet and avoiding their glances, I took a deep breath when I felt Gray at my side. Carefully leaning in to give Gray some of my weight off the offending limb, I made a pathetic attempt at waving hello to them. Why I was waving like a child at a parade was a mystery really, I just think tripping must have jostled my brain into acting like an idiot.

"Hello Hannah," I heard Christina say with a tight, but warmish, smile. She was never outright mean to me, but things between us were never friendly, and for good reason. I didn't begrudge her feelings towards me, I think she felt intimidated and she dealt with it by being passive aggressive in return. It must have been hard for her to find her mate, only to discover he is married to someone else.

"Christina," I said to her, bowing in the respectable manner that I was taught to use from a young age around those of a higher station within the clan. I didn't mean it as a dig, but one look at Jameson and I knew he thought I was taunting him with his position.

"Come and sit then we can talk," Gray said looking between the two of us and ushering me to the living area. To call it a living room would be a disservice. The room had top of the line electronics combined with some of the most comfortable leather sectionals I had ever seen. The crown molding was gorgeous, and the room was outfitted with some astonishingly beautiful oil paintings. We had never gotten around to redoing it after James and I bought the house, and it was nice to see it completed.

I chose to sit on a love seat that was small, ensuring no one would try and sit with me. Sometimes having someone's hand to hold all the time can be a crutch, and I wanted to do this alone. I felt that I needed to do this on my own and not rely on the guys to help me through.

The newlyweds chose to sit on the sofa opposite me, and Gray was so close to end of the sectional nearest where I was, that he was practically sitting on the armrest. I hoped he wasn't playing bodyguard, I wasn't here for confrontation or royal assassination, no matter what they said to me.

"Can I get you anything Hannah, Jamie here tells me you took quite a fall out on the trail earlier," she said to me. Jamie? He always hated that nickname, and I hated hearing her say it. I wasn't sure if she was sincere or not, but playing games were never my thing. She can play them, but I would just take her at her word and let her figure out the rest.

"I'm fine, thank you though," I told her, trying not to make eye contact for too long. Challenging the future queen was not in me today.

There was a pause that held for minute or two, it seemed that we had no clue how to speak to each other with her in the room. I could let one of them squirm, or I could address the questions that they wanted to ask but were too afraid to voice.

"As I was explaining to Grayson before, the cancer is back. Dr. Reece says it's not treatable. It is spreading, fast, and as you witnessed before some of my mental abilities are becoming affected. It stands to reason they think I have about a year, but my feeling is it will be less than that," I told them, holding my head up high as best I could. "If you think someone can really help me, then great, it's worth a shot at this point. But I must warn you as I told Grayson in the car, it would take a miracle or a medical breakthrough to help me. I am not opposed to some experimental treatment, but if my quality of life declines to a point I'm suffering too much, I will quit it in favor of living out my days in peace." I looked to gauge their reactions.

Strangely I noticed that my speech had shocked Christina, she looked at me with a bit of sadness at the news. I wondered why James didn't mention it to her when he came in. They still looked unsure of what to say, and it spoke volumes about their idea. They were scared to tell me and that in turn scared the hell out of me. Not much made the Yost twins back down from something.

"What kind of specialist are you going to take me to anyway?" I asked them, trying to steer the subject in a more hopeful direction. They still weren't talking. What the hell? Jameson and Grayson were exchanging glances.

"How hard can this be, just tell me. Is it some jungle doctor who is going to put snake venom in my hair or something?" I asked laughing a little. I was trying to ease some of the tension. The brothers took a long look at each other and then Jameson talked.

"I am going to take you to Eli," he told me clearing his voice when it broke a little. My jaw dropped, and I was pretty sure I was hallucinating this whole thing at his words.

"Eli..." I asked leading him into finishing his statement.

"Eli Drake," Jameson said and with noticeable effort he tried to contain the growl that came from his throat. He didn't even like saying his name.

"I am on many drugs James, many different drugs, so I must be imagining this whole thing right now." I said shaking my head and blinking my eyes. I couldn't have heard that right, I knew I had heard him say his name, but my brain just wasn't translating it right.

"Say it again," I demanded of him looking right into his eyes.

"I am going to take you to Eli Drake and hopefully his blood will save you, hopefully it isn't too late," he said tears welling up in his eyes, which was so unlike stoic Jameson that it hurt just to see him do it. I should have been comforted that he was concerned. I should have been happy he was willing to try this to help me. The only thing I could think about though, was that if I had heard him right, he was going to take me to the vampire king.

Chapter 4

"Let me get this straight," I said, coughing and trying to fight back a giggle. "You want me, the disgraced human daughter of the King of wolves, to ask Eli Drake to let me have some of his blood to heal me. Did I get that right?" I asked everyone aloud in an almost hysterical tone. I sounded like a nervous hyena as I tried to contain the laugh that was bubbling up.

"In essence yes," Gray said to me. He had an affronted look on his face and I knew he was being real with me.

"Are you all on drugs?" I asked the twins. The flinched but looked like they were serious.

"It was not an easy option for us to decide on, but we have no choice. If I had known about this before I would have come to you about it," Gray said to me.

"He is the vampire king of North America Gray, I may not be a wolf but I am as close as it comes without going furry. We are natural enemies, on top of that he might just kill me on site when he finds out who my father is. This is a horrible idea!" I shouted out to room.

"It sounds worse when you frame it like that," Gray said holding up a finger.

"Let's just see how bad this really sounds," I said to them taking a deep breath to begin.

"He has a worse reputation than my father, which should say enough about the kind of man he is," I said to them. Gray opened his mouth and I interrupted him.

"He is a rumored to have a harem of women for his personal use," I said pointing to the second finger on my hand.

"It is known that he never drinks from anything but a live body." I pointed to another digit.

"His hatred for my family is legendary, almost going back four generations," I said when I got to my ring finger.

"And he has a predisposition towards killing first and asking questions later." Finally reaching my pinky finger I gave it a rest and looked to them. The boys were making a close inspection of their shoes.

"Jamie, can I talk to you a second?" I heard Christina ask in a panicked tone, eyes darting from him to me. It should have made me feel good that this rattled her, but I was too busy being shocked by what they were asking.

"Jameson," she said trying to get his attention again. To my complete and total surprise, he ignored her and focused on me.

"Yes, that is exactly what I want you to do. Of course, we will have to conceal your identity, I have some contacts on the inside of his compound that I believe will help us get you in." I felt my mouth hang open still, catching files was going to be in my near future. Putting aside all of the improbabilities of pulling this off, I was shocked he had spies in the vampire territory.

I looked to Gray and to James, honestly believing that this was all some joke. They looked serious, somber, and almost a little sad, but there was no trace of humor. This was no prank.

"You really want me do try this? If you think this is going to work you are out of your minds," I told them.

"Yes, I think it will work. Gray and I have talked about it before, some time ago. Before you..." Jameson said not mentioning what happened to me. He could never outright talked about it, never addressed it with me further after I was released from the treatment facility.

"Tricking him for a moment might work, sneaking me into his compound might work, but convincing him to give me some of his blood would take a monumental effort. If memory serves, and the rumors are true, he has not given his blood out to a human in centuries. No less to the daughter of the one person he hates the most." If the looks on their faces were any indication, they were well aware of it too.

"Once again, you will not be going there as yourself Hannah. He never has to know who you really are, it's not like he is going to recognize you. To my knowledge, Henry and Lillian never took out," he said then his eyes went wide at what he implied. I never wanted to talk about them so they never came up much. I nodded my head at him, acknowledging what he was thinking.

No one outside of this community knew that I was alive. They told everyone I died when they found out I skipped out on their precious shifter gene, and they kept on pretending. Sure, there were rumors in other clans about a mysterious human that my parents took care of, but no one had proof.

"It's okay, if there is one good thing about my parents, it's that they always pretended like I didn't exist. You're right, my parents never took me out of the house. Never to any of the clan meetings or the regional councils. I don't think outside of our clan, anyone knows for sure of my existence." I didn't sound bitter anymore, maybe I was making peace with how I grew up.

"They never took you anywhere?" Christina asked me. Her question grated at me a little, she never asked me a question about myself before and now she wanted to know about how my parents mistreated me. I answered anyway.

"Nowhere, they always left me home. When I was an infant and they figured out I was human and not wolf, they told everyone outside the community I died at birth. I think my mother panicked and it was the story she came up with to save face in front of her snotty friends. She had to stick to it, not that I believe she minded doing it, but I always wondered what would have happened if they told everyone the truth," I told them seriously.

"It's stories like such as those that make me want to challenge him and get it over with." Jameson said it in a rush, exhaling as he tried to calm himself down.

"Jamie," Christina said again, pulling on the sleeve of his shirt to get his attention. It went unnoticed and she looked a more nervous as the conversation continued.

"Well that would play to our advantage. You just need to present yourself as human, which isn't technically a lie so it should be easier for you to keep your story straight," Gray said. Jameson looked pleased that there was a silver lining to my parents neglect.

"So I get my blood, and then what? I just tell him thanks for that, but now I'm leaving. That's going to go over well I'm sure," I said with a snort. They must be high to believe this would all happen.

I forged on when I noticed James was about counter my argument, "I mean, how the hell am I supposed to convince him that he should anyway? I'm not ugly but I'm not all that remarkable either." Jameson winced at my insinuation. He knew like the rest of us did that blood sharing was only done within the most intimate of relationships. That meant that I was going to have to get him to trust me, maybe get him to love me or at least like me. At the very least I was going to have to persuade him to sleep with me. The more I thought about this the less I was sure that this was going to be possible.

"I think you sell yourself short," Gray said to me smiling a little and wagging his eyebrows suggestively. I couldn't have been more relieved that someone was trying to lighten the mood. This was currently in the running for the day from hell.

"That's nice and all Grayson, but let's be really honest here for a second," I said to him then turning my gaze towards his brother. I took a deep breath in, closing my eyes for a second to steel myself.

"I am not opposed to trying, and contrary to what some might think, I do not wish to give up and die. That being said, I have to warn you that I don't have that much time. Assuming you can even get me in, the odds of accomplishing all of this before my health further declines would be slim," I told them grimly. If I was going to agree to this then they had to know the odds. No one wants to bet on a lame horse.

"I have faith in you, the question is do you have faith in yourself?" Gray asked me, all humor and good vibe gone from his face. It was a valid question and one I would have to figure the answer to if I wanted to attempt this.

"How exactly are you planning on getting her in there?" Christina asked tersely. I almost gasped in surprise at her tone, it was quite angry now at being ignored. I don't think she liked the idea of her husband putting his neck, and title, on the line for me.

"Eli is having a party, a lavish ball to celebrate his four hundred and fiftieth birthday," Jameson said. The number alone should have grossed me out, but I was just envious of all the time. I had so little left. "He has, um, ordered some entertainment for his intimate circle to enjoy during the party. I am thinking we can sneak her in with them. Hopefully she can catch his eye and he will ask her to stay and she can work it from there." Great, entertainment. What the hell was I going to have to do? Oh, right what else would I be hired to do?

"How are you going to get me in with the strippers?" I asked rolling my eyes.

"They are not strippers Hannah, they are dancers, there is a difference," he told me, fighting a smirk. I noticed that his little comment sent his new wife's eyes to roll similarly back into her head as well. Men just didn't get it sometimes.

"You certainly have the...shape for it. I heard you worked at Hooters for a while," Christina said to me gesturing to my figure. It wasn't said as a compliment and I didn't take it as such. I decided ignoring her would piss her off the most so I turned the other way.

"Grayson, there is no way all of this is going to work," I told him my eyes pleading with him to not get his hopes up. I wasn't sure anymore if I was trying to prepare him, or me, for it to fail.

"Hannimal," he smiled using a favorite endearment for me, "what do you have to lose?" How right he was.

We ate some lunch next, Christina had set the formal dining table and we all sat in very uncomfortable silence as she got out the food. I couldn't help my roaming eyes as they took in everything they had done in improvements to the house. It wasn't with a critical eye but more of a curiousness in how much it had changed. It was much like the feeling of returning to a childhood home after being gone for a while. Everything looks the same and the memories are still there, but at the same time everything is different because you are so changed. It was fascinating to be back here and I found it wasn't nearly as painful as I was expecting it to be. It hurt, but the feeling wasn't overwhelming anymore.

"I like what you did with the living room," I told Jameson and by default Christina. She had moved her chair closer to him so it was almost impossible not to look at both of them when I said it. She smiled at my compliment, it was small but warm.

"I'll take you on a tour when we get done," he said to me smiling a little. "Wait until you see what we did on the deck, the pool was just finished earlier this month." He knew how much I loved swimming and we had chosen the house because the patio in the back would accommodate a pool nicely. He called me a water rat when we were kids because if I found even the shallowest pond I would crawl in it.

"I hope you got the industrial filter," I said laughing a little through the comment. They knew what I was talking about and laughed with me.

"We don't go crashing pools in beast form anymore Han," Grayson said a wicked grin splitting his face.

"You went swimming in your wolf?" Christina asked James. She was fighting a smirk.

"They used to break in late nearly every night and swim in my pool," I said to her. She didn't look to happy to be reminiscing with me about them, but she still tried to give me a smile.

"I take it this didn't end well?" she asked this time directing it at her new husband. It was childish but this was from my time and I resented her trying to cut me out of telling the story.

I selfishly decided to jump in, "When the pool started accumulating debris we knew something was wrong. Remember the look on my parents face when the pool tech came out and found their pump clogged with five pounds of wolf fur? We had to lie to the guy and tell him we bred dogs. Like that made any sense. Why the hell would all those dogs be in our fancy ass pool?" I was flat out laughing now remembering the look on his face. It was a favorite past time for them to come over to my house and swim in their beast forms. I missed doing that, and I never even realized it. It was one of the few ways for them to be around me as wolves as my father forbade it early on. I believe the part of me that missed out on that genetic link was soothed by being around them like that. I always felt so peaceful in those times.

"I had to shock to pool after every swim or the water would smell like a swamp. You two always smelled so bad," I said, a snort escaping my giggles.

Grayson and I were still laughing but Jameson was just smiling, looking at both of us with an exasperated expression. It reminded of me of the dynamic we had growing up. Grayson and I were the ones always laughing and scheming, and James was the one who kept us safe and tried to keep us from doing something too stupid.

I looked around the table to my two former friends and I couldn't stop the tear that escaped out of my eye. I couldn't help wondering how many more of these moments I would have. Taking a deep breath in an attempt to control my feelings I could sense the tiredness of the day's events starting to settle into my bones. It must have showed on my face because the table had sobered into a tense quiet.

"Gray, we need to make a few phone calls and set everything up. Chris," he said looking to his wife, "I know you must be anxious to head back into work." I realized I was just staring at them and I had to look away to stop myself. I was doing okay dealing with them here and I didn't need to push it by lingering on them acting as husband and wife.

"I'll see you for dinner?" I heard her ask as she rose from the table. I was busy picking around my salad for the last bits of strawberries. I could feel Gray's eyes on me but I didn't meet them.

I didn't hear his response, but I did notice the noise of Christina high heels leaving the dining room with her clipped steps echoing until the sound died at the side door. I heard the garage open and close while James started cleaning the table. Gray and I joined in to help out. None of us said anything, but we never needed to, it was enough peace just to be around each other.

After the table was cleared, the boys took to James' study and I excused myself to the back patio. I looked around and found the pool, admiring the work. It was modern and sleek in a unique design. It was a bit different for my taste, but it fit with the rest of the house and with Christina in extension. I sighed when, with one feel of the water, I realized it was temperature controlled and nice and warm. I loved swimming, but I hardly did it anymore with all the scars I now sported. I hated all the staring so I usually just avoided showing that much skin. Even in the summer I usually kept myself covered.

Roaming around the rest of the area I almost gasped at the sight of the two Adirondack chairs that were nestled up to the small wall that overlooked the wooded property to the south of the house. We had purchased them when we first bought the house. They were handmade by an older couple that we found selling their wood works in a little shop while we vacationed in South Carolina. It wasn't his type at all but I begged for him to let me buy them. I loved these chairs but never had room for them after the divorce, and I knew in that moment Jameson kept them around for me.

Nestled in between the two chairs was a large wicker basket, and I found several plush blankets inside. I picked a light blue knit one, it was too soft to be anything besides a cashmere blend and I rolled my eyes. Who buys cashmere blankets to keep outside?

I decided not be too picky since the blanket did in fact feel like heaven, and curled up on one of the chairs draping it around the front of me as I tucked my feet in. I felt the sun on my face and I closed my eyes, letting my body drink it in. The sound of the pool, with its posh waterfall at the far end, made a soothing, flowing noise and it calmed me instantly. I found my mind wandering but I couldn't help it.

It was hard not to go back to the past here, with all the bombs they dropped on me in the beginning I managed not to get to swept up in the intense emotions that being in this house brought me. This was supposed to be our home, the home where we raised our kids. My first surgery took that ability away, and it was the catalyst for the rest of unravel. If I closed my eyes enough I could hear the shouts and squeals of the kids as they played in the water.

I let myself cry out here, silent tears tracking rivers of salty water down my face. I wasn't sobbing or wailing, just quietly allowing my body to feel the sadness. I figured they would take a while inside so I just let it out. I found no weakness in crying, I never understood why I should feel guilty about my emotions. I could no sooner stop them then I could stop the sun from shining on my face. I slowed down after a while and soon the event of the day took me away and I fell asleep.

Chapter 5

I heard voices over me and it woke me from my dream, the same one as before. I sat up, stretching out my legs and raising my hands above my head. I let out a yawn and looked behind me finding both of the guys looking at me.

"Have a good nap Han?" Gray asked me, plopping down in the chair next to me. James sat propped up on the wall in front of us, long legs crossed at the ankles.

"I did," I said back smiling. I felt much better and by the looks of it I was out here a while too. I noticed that I had another blanket around me, the light was fading down a little and there was a bit of a chill in the wind from the dropping temperature.

"How did your calls go?" I asked them. There looked to each other with what looked like nervousness in their eyes. It worried me.

"Getting you inside isn't going to be much of a problem."

"Why are you so concerned then?"

It was a few seconds before he answered me. "From what I have gathered about Eli, it looks like you might have some obstacles getting time with him," Jameson said letting a breath out.

"I could have told you that before you made your calls," I said to them under my breath.

"We didn't say it was impossible," Gray said to me while looking to his brother. Jameson gave a nod, signaling him for something.

"It's just that he is recently...engaged," he said so softly to me I almost missed it. Just when I thought I had turned a corner something else came along.

"I'm sorry come again?" I asked him, feeling blood rush my face. Every time I got angry I turned a wonderful shade of tomato and I was sure at this point I was almost purple. I looked to Gray again and saw his face. I knew in that instant I had heard him right.

"If it makes you feel any better it was arranged, from my sources it looks to be something that would create an alliance. There is little affection between the two, I don't know if I have ever heard someone with a worse reputation than his bride." Jameson said to me chucking a little at the last part. I didn't find it funny and communicated that with my stare.

"None of that makes me feel better James. She could be the spawn of Satan and it wouldn't make my life easier. How do I come between them? Arranged or not, the coupling has to have begun," I said standing abruptly from the chair. I needed to start thinking about this seriously if I wanted to do this. I began pacing which was something I always did when my mind was stuck. When I saw one of them out of the corner of my eye come my way I held up my hand. I didn't need help. I walked around the pool thinking. No matter all the questions that were rolling around in my head, it always came back to the same thing. Could this really work? The rest I could tackle along the way if I knew the end would save me. I made my way back to the chairs.

"How sure are you that his blood will heal me?" I asked Jameson directly, standing right in front of him. Only the oldest of vampire blood could heal humans, it wasn't done very often for obvious reasons. I could count on one hand the number I had heard of Eli consenting to it as well.

"I wouldn't have brought this option to you if I didn't believe it would." He looked confident.

"I don't want to go here James, I really want to leave the past behind," I said to him. I had to know though so I continued licking my lips nervously.

"Why didn't you ask me this before?" I knew my voice broke, and I could see Gray walking towards the house to give us some privacy. I wasn't sure if that was a good sign or a bad one.

"Your father would not allow it," he said softly as he grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around me. I was shivering and I didn't even notice it. He took a deep breath in and said, "Either way you would have to be sent to Eli with the same plan. I would have lost you then."

"You lost me anyway James," I said with a kind and soft voice back. I didn't want to rehash everything we went through but

"That is true, however at the time we didn't think your cancer was that aggressive Han. I went to the clan with the proposal, and Henry forbade it. He told me that he would banish us both if we attempted it. He told me he would label us traitors and put Gray away for conspiracy." He took a breath.

"I thought we would have time, and then when the surgeries started and things went downhill with your treatments your father was already aware of what I was thinking. He kept such close tabs on both of us I had no options." He looked to me to see my reaction. I hoped I was keeping it together on the outside, because in my head I was mess. All of this sounded so logical, but hindsight was always clearer.

"And then you met Christina," I said to him. She was the elephant in the room, the one thing we never mentioned. I refused to acknowledge her before because it hurt too much, and now he refused to bring it up because of his own guilt.

"And then I met Christina," he mimed back to me looking off into the distance. Finding his shifter mate at the time seemed like a cruel irony. With everything I was dealing with it was what broke me and we both knew it. It also took me the longest to get over. I should know I was still paying off the shrink bills.

"I don't begrudge you your choices Jameson, I know none of it was done to intentionally harm me," I said to him. "There was so much going on, and when everything came to a head, when you told me about her, when I..." I couldn't finish the sentence. It was a time I didn't feel shameful for anymore but it was one that was so painful I chose not to visit too often. The flashback came anyway. Memories never needed permission to pop up when they wanted.

_"Hannah," Jameson said frantically trying to shake me out of my stupor. I had driven from my father's in a numb haze and now I couldn't even remember how it was I got here. It should have frightened me but I was too out of it. I was sitting and waiting in his office for him to return from lunch. My father said he was out, with her, so I should go back and wait for him to return to confront him. _

_"Hannah what's wrong?" he asked me again. I noticed he had bent down and was now eye level with me. His eyes were glowing and swirling their concern. He almost looked afraid. His wolf must have been agitated, he never lost control like that before. Maybe he knew I was coming to confront him._

_"I have bad news and bad news Jameson, which do you want first?" I asked him with a dry sarcasm in my tone. I tried to sound bored but I'm sure he could hear my heart pounding, it was almost deafening in my own ears._

_"Just tell me Hannah," he told me._

_"The surgery didn't work as well as they wanted, they were not able to get all of what was left in my leg. I start radiation next week. wants to talk about...alternatives," I said to him. His eyes closed for a second as he bent his forehead to my own. It was what we had both feared. The last round almost killed me and I wasn't sure either of us could endure another. I breathed in his cologne, it was so strong he must have just put some on. It reminded me of what else I had to say._

_"Henry called me into his office today," I said to him. We were still connected by our foreheads, and it was the only reason I felt his body completely lock up. I kept sending him the same thought over and over, as if he could pick up on it and act. 'Don't make me say it.' 'Don't make me say it.' 'Don't make me say it.' _

_He still wasn't talking and he was sitting so still I was wondering if he was still breathing. In my mind, I knew I should be hitting him. Beating on his chest and demanding answers, but in the moment all I could do was feel broken. I thought about that for a second and got mad enough to press on him._

_"You can't imagine how much worse it was coming from Henry. Jameson, it was so much worse coming from that man," I could feel that I was crying and my words were garbled a little. I tapped into a little of the anger I was feeling and it sharpened me into calming my tears._

_"I met her about a month ago," he said in a choked voice. All the pain hit me again as he said it. It was so much worse having him confirm it which was ridiculous considering it is exactly what Henry told me. I tried to keep my mouth shut, it was like ripping of a Band-Aid. I just needed to get this done. I didn't say anything in the hopes he would just continue._

_"We were at the regional councils meeting and I happened to meet her. Her father is on the same education board as I am. Hannah, I never thought..." he never finished the sentence. It was always a possibility, one that I never thought would happen. I guess most humans never think they will get cancer either. How ironic._

_"And you waited a month James?" I asked my voice raising. I never wanted it to come to me screaming at him like some out of control banshee but I couldn't stop it. "You had to lie to me long enough that even Henry knew what was going on! Do you know what his face looked like when he told me?" He flinched back at my words and my tone._

_"He actually said 'I told you so' to me. He told me that he knew this would happen, he told me the same thing he told me the morning of the wedding. That no future Alpha would be content with a human bride. He told me that the cancer proves how inferior my human blood line really is, and now that you have your wolf mate..." I screamed something dangerous, and primal. I may not be able to shift but I had the temper of a shifter. I stood up and paced in front of him, clenching my fists back and forth. _

_"Hannah, I had no control over that. You know we don't have a choice. It just happens. It's so rare for mates to find one another I never thought it would happen. I just wanted to give you a chance to get better without dealing with it. With everything that we are going..." _

_I cut him off before he could finish, "With everything we are going through! Jameson I have cancer, I am dying. We may be going through this, I have never made you feel otherwise, but I am the one that is dying. I am your wife, the one you made vows to, the one who you pledged to be with until the end. The one that I have been with since we were fucking children. You were the first and the only person I have ever loved, the only person I have ever given my body and soul to. And now, you have her. So where does that leave me Jameson?" He looked at me, a face full of questions. He was searching my face like it held the answers._

_"I don't know, that's what we were at lunch talking about." He said it so matter of fact like. It was the most telling part of the whole night. He was now, discussing me and my future and my illness, with his mate. I felt the bile rise and I promptly sprinted to the bathroom. It wasn't the most rational reaction to the idea, it wasn't a betrayal to be talking about me with her, but it sure as hell felt like one. I emptied the contents of my stomach and then sat there for a moment. I heard the knocking on the door but I ignored it. Eventually I heard him step into the ladies room and make his way to where I was sprawled in the stall. I didn't say anything to him, and he didn't say anything to me. He just picked me up and took me out to his car. _

_The next thing I knew I woke up in our bed, feeling like a truck had hit me in the face. The last confrontation came rushing back to me and I felt nauseous all over again. I ran into our bathroom, dry heaves wracking my body as nothing came up. I must have fallen asleep on the floor because I woke up much later on. _

_Looking to the lack of light coming from the bedroom I realized it must be night. The realization that not only did Jameson leave me, but all the possibilities of what he could be doing was enough to really do me in. I stayed inside the small room, pacing back and forth in the bathroom like a caged animal. My mind was snapping back and forth to images of them together in bed, to images of them laughing and talking, enjoying each other's company. When was the last time James and I could do that? It was hard to do that while the idea of my cancer always hung over our heads. We could never do that, I was dying. How happy can you be when you know you are dying, when you know the one you love is wasting away in front of your eyes?_

_I stood pacing there for what seemed like an eternity. I was losing sense of time, and it was in that moment I could almost feel my mind unraveling. The realities of what I would be facing were the only things I could see. I couldn't see anyone else's face, I couldn't focus on anything besides the two of them. They would be living the life I had earned, while I was going to be six feet under fertilizing the plants with my decaying corpse. She would bear his children, she would be the one to run free with his wolf. How could my broken human body compare?_

_I opened the cabinet, looking for some of the sleeping pills I usually kept for emergencies. I just needed to knock myself out and hope when I woke up I could handle this. I saw Jameson's razors and it was like my eyes were glued to them. I couldn't see anything else, I couldn't think about anything else._

_The next thing I know, I am sitting on the floor, propped up against the bathtub. I looked down and noticed the blood. There was so much blood. I had been given blood samples so often the last few years that I had become immune to the sight of it. In the quantities here though, it made even me a little dizzy._

_I looked to my wrists, and noticed that I had two, four inch gashes running lengthwise down my wrists. In that moment I remembered what I had done. I panicked and tried to move my hands but I must have hit a nerve because I was having no luck at all moving my fingers. I tried to move my arms and legs, but felt a strange heaviness in them. I looked down and noticed that the blood was spreading too quickly for me to last long. I suddenly gasped as I realized that I was about to die, it was really happening. I could feel the blackness creeping into the corners of my vision. I would only have to wait that void out and then I would be gone, the pain would be gone._

_I must have drifted off because I was suddenly awakened by James and Grayson who were hovering over me. I could feel someone putting pressure on my wrists._

_"You told her today? You knew she was going to get her results today. What the fuck is wrong with you?" I could hear Grayson bellow at his brother._

_"Henry told her today, not me. What kind of a person do you think I am?" I heard Jameson ask back._

_"She's not going to make it James, there is too much blood," Gray said. I could feel him kiss my forehead as he said it. Was this goodbye?_

_"She sure as hell is going to fucking make it. You hear me Han, you are tougher than this shit. You are going to make it." Jameson's voice was starting to fade but I kept anchoring my mind to it. If I had something to focus on I could stay grounded and lose myself to the weightlessness that I felt._

_"You have to kick my ass for what I did to you, you know you want to do it Hannah. I'll even pretend to fight back. Like when we were younger and you said you could challenge me for Alpha even though you were human. You used to get so mad when I would hold back. I'll fight you or let you win, I'll do whatever you want and then we can figure it out. You will feel better...you will get better...I love you Hannah," those were the last fragments of words I heard before I succumbed to the darkness._

Chapter 6

I snapped out of the memory, shuddering at the feeling of dying. I still carried that night with me, every day I felt the heavy burden of what it feels like to throw your own life away. I closed my eyes and tried to focus on now, allowing my brain time to realize I wasn't back in that bathroom anymore.

I looked up to James, who was watching me carefully. I took a deep breath in and continued with what I wanted to tell him.

"When I couldn't deal anymore, when I tried to kill myself, you should have offered this to me," I told him. The guilt that wracked his face told me he knew it too. From what I caught of their conversation earlier I thought Gray was on board with that plan from the start.

"I should have, but I didn't think you were strong enough to do it. Considering what had happened." He wasn't making eye contact with me and I moved so that he was forced too. We had nothing to hide from, not anymore.

"You might have been right, I can't deny I wasn't in my right mind but it still should have been my choice." I saw him flinch at my comment but I wasn't trying to make this harder. I only wanted to understand, and put this behind me.

"It's okay James, I came to peace with most of this a while ago. I just needed to know why you didn't bring this up before." I didn't want this to turn into our divorce litigation again. We already beat that dead horse enough.

"Just tell me one thing," I asked him when he still remained silent, "Does she make you happy?" His eyes were locked with mine and I finally felt like we were having an honest conversation about her.

"She does," he said with a small smile. I knew shifter mates were a rare occurrence, one filled with immense connection and love. I gave a smile back, truly glad to hear that he was happy. Squeezing his hand a little I led him back into the house. I found Gray peering nervously out of the kitchen windows as we approached the sliding doors.

"It's okay Grayson," I said giving him a hug and kissing his cheek as I passed by him and headed for the bathroom. I almost caught myself heading upstairs, to our private quarters and I had to stop at the bottom of the stairs before I made an ass out of myself. I veered towards the hall bathroom and closed the door behind me. It was another reminder of where I was, and more importantly where I wasn't anymore.

I couldn't stop it as I threw up all of lunch into the toilet. The flashback to that night, adding into what had happened today was just too much for my now frail body. I hugged the toilet a while, pressing my face to the cold porcelain. I felt heavy, like the ghosts of my past and the probabilities of my future were weighing me down.

I looked around and then went to the sink to splash some water on my face. I heard a tentative knock on the door and I dried off my face to turn and open it. Grayson stood on the other side looking over my face to see if I was okay. I gave him the best smile I could muster.

"I'm okay," I told him as I reached up a hand to cup his face. He leaned his head in to my hand and I saw Jameson over his shoulder. I gave him what I hoped was a reassuring smile and then tried to shoo them out of the bathroom.

"I'm fine stop fussing over me," I told them as I made my way back to the kitchen to get some soda water.

"So who is going to take me back to my apartment?" I asked them as I leaned up against the kitchen island. I really wanted a good bath and to sleep in my own bed.

"There is no way in hell I'm letting you go home alone," Gray said to me looking at me like I was moron for even asking it. "Too much has happened to you today," he told me shaking his head.

"He is right, it's not a good idea Han. Especially if you hit your head today. You can stay here," Jameson told me gesturing around him. It was my turn to stare at him like he was out of his mind.

"I am not going to stay as a guest in my old home James, I don't mean to be dramatic about it, but that is a horrible idea and you know it. Christina would have a shit hemorrhage," I said back to him. He shook his head but I could see him fighting a grin.

"Well you can't go home alone, so I guess it's my place tonight." I saw Jameson glare at him when he suggested it.

"You're on duty tonight ass," James said. I saw Grayson frown when he realized it. The wolves took turns guarding their wooded territory so I was guessing he was up for the task this evening.

"I could switch with Dmitri," he said.

"He's out because Eleana had the twins last week," James told him back. He said it on an almost whisper, most likely to save me from hearing about it. Eleana had been one of my sort of friends back when I was younger. She was never outright nice but I think she often felt bad for the position I was put in by my parents. She was the only one outside of the twins that I was friendly with. She stopped talking to me though when my father banished me following my suicide attempt.

"It's okay Gray, don't change your schedule for me. I'll figure something out."

"I'll tell Christina about it so she knows ahead of time, but you will stay here where I can watch you. This is not up for discussion." He left to leave and I interrupted him.

"It's nice you want to watch out for me, I get it. But we're not kids anymore guys. I have responsibilities at home, my computer is there and I still do some freelance work. On top of that I have a truckload of medicine I have to take. Shit!" I exclaimed realizing I was off my med schedule. How the hell was I going to take all of it with me?

"What?" they asked in unison and I couldn't fight the smile I had on my face at the sight of the two of them talking together.

"How the hell am I going to take all that with me when I go?" I asked them, chewing on my bottom lip.

"Can it fit in a backpack? I don't think anyone would think it was odd if you had a bag with you. Just tell them it's makeup, or tampons. No one will think twice." Gray had a good point and it settled some of my fears. For the moment.

"Regardless, I have to get home and back on schedule," I told James. I saw Grayson glaring at him from his position on the island stool.

"I'll stay with you there then," he said to me as he strode into his office shutting the large wooden doors behind him. I whirled around to Gray feeling my eyebrows inch their way up my forehead.

"Did I hear him right?" I asked him.

"I wouldn't want to be on the other end of that phone call," he said to me shaking his head.

I tried not to notice the clench of his jaw as he pulled his Rover into a parking spot in my apartment complex. I could guess he wasn't too happy about how I was living now, but he had enough sense not to confront me about it.

"I'm on the third floor, 8 B" I told him as we started to climb the stairs.

"Did you pay for this with the last of your retirement?" he asked me. I rolled my eyes, I knew it would come up but I didn't feel like going there.

"No I do some editing part time that pays for the apartment," I told him hoping he would just leave it alone.

"Well, I know you weren't traveling. So what did you drain the accounts for?"

"I had to pay for the medical bills," I told him softly.

"What do you mean," he asked me, suddenly stopping on the stairs to stare at me.

"How am I supposed to pay for my medical care without insurance James? We are no longer married, my father cut off all of my accounts I had before. He couldn't touch the retirement and some of the other investments, but the rest he took away. The cancer was preexisting so I can't get private insurance. I pay everything out of pocket," I told him and started walking again up the stairs. I could hear him pause for a second and then follow me.

"Why didn't you tell me Han?" he asked me when we got to the door of my place. I reached into my bag and grabbed my keys, I wasn't answering him on purpose. I was hoping he would forget this line of questioning. I could still feel him staring at me as we entered the apartment.

"Hannah," he said to me as he grabbed my arm to turn me around. "Why didn't you tell me you needed money?"

"I don't. I don't live like we used to but it fits me now. Besides that, I am responsible for myself. I can't rely on you anymore, it's not fair to both of us," I told him as I shrugged out of his grasp and headed for the bathroom. I gathered everything together and took the plastic container into the kitchen where I had my med schedule taped to the fridge.

I found him pacing the kitchen when I got back, alternately clenching his fists and staring at the pieces of paper that were neatly arranged and taped the front of my fridge.

I knew he was really getting my situation now, looking at all of scripts and directions all laid out like that was hard to ignore or play down. I knew he could hear me coming down the hall and he turned when I reached the entryway.

"It's bad," he told me as he looked at me. It sounded like a question and an answer at the same time. I nodded my head to him and I saw his eyes widen at the bin in my hands.

"It's bad," I said back to him as I began placing the pill bottles on the counter that I would need to take. I snuck a glance sideways to Jameson and found him with a confused look on his face. Shifters were immune to human diseases. They could sometimes get a little sick but it was never serious or life threatening. He had little frame of reference for drugs and treatments of this kind. We had a clan doctor, but he was more of a vet than anything else.

He looked over to me and the look on his face made me think of the time I told him what was going on with me. It came back to me at once.

_"Jameson, you need to sit down," I told him when he came home from work that evening. He knew I was going to the doctor today but he could tell by the look on my face it wasn't good news. He seemed confused by my serious tone and I didn't blame him. It was just some hip pain I had been complaining about, nothing I thought we had to be concerned about._

_"It can't be that bad, just tell me," he said and stopped in his tracks when he looked me in the eyes. He dropped his bag and came right to me, a look of concern evident on his face. I hated seeing him like that and I knew it was only going to get worse. I knew nothing would be the same after this talk._

_"What's going on Han?" he asked me as he sat across from me at the kitchen table. I took a deep breath and pulled out the copies of the CT scan they had done on me the previous week. He looked at them quizzically, tilting it this way and that._

_"I have no clue what this is, wait is this one of those sonogram things? Oh Hannah, are you pregnant?" he asked me with a smile spreading across his face. I cringed, how I wished it could be that. _

_"This is a CT scan baby, I'm not pregnant." I took in a deep breath._

_"I don't understand then," he told me. I stood and made my way around the table to lean over his shoulder at the picture. I placed one hand on the back of his neck, rubbing his hair._

_"See this here?" I asked as I pointed to one of the areas near my hip. "See that, and that," I continued as I pointed to a few more void like spots on the scan._

_ I saw recognition hit his face as he swiveled his chair around to stare at me. _

_"Is that...that looks like..." he asked trailing off. I don't think he knew the right word for what it was. I almost laughed at the thought, our community was so untouched by disease that he didn't even know what he was looking at._

_"I have cancer Jameson," I said as I felt my voice break. I cleared my throat. "It's bad," I whispered to him as he gathered me in his arms. I let it all out then, I wasn't crying, I was screaming in rage against it all. He held me through it all. He held me until I lost my voice._

_ "We'll fix you Han, there's nothing to worry about now. I'm here and we will get you healthy. I will get you the best doctors and the best treatments and you will be back in fighting shape in no time at all." He was stroking the side of my hair back and forth, rocking me slightly. I realized we were now sitting on the floor, with me straddling his lap. I must have collapsed at some point. We sat there for a while, how long I couldn't be sure, but he just held me. It was a silent strength he always brought to me. I needed it now._

_"It's bad," I whispered to him again._

_"It's never that bad, not when we are together," he told me bringing my face up to his to kiss me. I lost myself in him, enjoying the feel of him under me. We made love on the cold floor of the kitchen, a heated and consuming exchange. We were demanding and exacting with each other. Neither of us held back, neither of us broke eye contact. I felt something inside of me light up, and it was what I needed. Jameson knew me well enough to understand I didn't want gentle and slow, I wanted it strong, so I could feel strong._

_I stayed on top of him for a moment, panting and sweating. He reached his arms up and swept my long blonde hair away from my face. _

_"I'm never going to let you leave me," he told me firmly and I could see his eyes were fighting tears but they held the depths of his determination. It gave me such strength in his conviction and I anchored myself to it. _

_ "I'm human baby, you know at some point I will leave you," I said speaking of the one think we never often talked about. He was immortal, and I was not. It was something one doesn't think about until the time in front you is shorter than the time you have behind you._

_ "I will never let you go," he told me again. He believed it then, I believed it too._

Chapter 7

"Hannah are you okay?" James asked me when he noticed I had drifted off.

"Fine just trying to do some math in my head, you know numbers and I don't mix so well," I said to him. He didn't look convinced but I just kept on with my task.

I set out all the pills I needed to take, and then went about making a little toast to go with it. My stomach still felt upended but I needed to take some of the medicine with food. I looked to James and found him looking around, unsure as to how to act here with me.

"Sit and I'll make us something," I told him gesturing towards the table. "I have the paper still there, have a look if you want." He looked grateful to have something to occupy him.

"Why don't you tell me about how you are going to get me in," I requested as I sat down at my little dinette table. I had made some tea for me and some coffee for him. I had a feeling that he was going to need it tonight, and if I knew him he would be dumb enough to stay awake and check on me, instead of sleep.

James cleared his throat, "I know someone who got me in contact with the owner of the, uh, dance company that Eli is hiring." I rolled my eyes again.

"And you bribed her enough that she will pretend I am one of her girls." I filled in the blanks for him. I knew he had to have thrown money at them in order to keep this all quiet.

"Essentially yes," he said scratching the back of his head and looking tired. "She knows you have a little experience so she is going to put you in a server uniform and you will be serving the refreshments while the dancers..." His face flushed as he said it. "It's perfect for you Han," he said to me. "You made more as a waitress than anyone I had ever seen." I smiled at the memory along with him. It was a blast serving at the restaurant, not to mention I was good at it.

"She knows where she is sending her girls right? I can only assume she has done this before."

"Yes, she the only one he contracts out for his parties. She did say that he took impeccable care of them while in his compound. In fact she had nothing but good things to say about him, I almost couldn't offer her enough money to smuggle you in," he said to me. This surprised me, from what I knew of Eli he was more ruthless than careful with his...women. It made me instantly curious of this madam as well. I didn't like that she was suspicious already.

"I don't like that you had to convince her of this James, do you think it's safe to still go with her? Can she be trusted?" I asked him seriously.

"I know you are going to take this wrong way but you sound like your father when you go off like that." I winced and he knew his comment had stung even if it wasn't intended.

"I may not be able to shift but I am just as paranoid about outsiders as most wolves. Can I ask you a question?" James gave me a go ahead look.

"Even though I seem to not have the shifter gene, or whatever it is that I am missing, how much do I get from them, from my parents?" It was a question I often wrestled with as it became apparent that my parents were less than stellar individuals. "It seems like a cruel joke to keep from me the one thing I wish I could have inherited from the two of them." I sighed at my luck and wondered if it were possible for someone to possess none at all.

"I think you are an impossibility Hannah. If you didn't look like your mother, and act like your father, I would wonder if you weren't abducted as a baby." I laughed but Jameson stayed sober and serious. "I'm serious Hannah. I don't have the slightest clue how you turned out normal."

"It was because of you and Gray," I said to him honestly. "I have this theory that the only reason I managed to stay sane is because I am calmed by your wolves. I shouldn't feel complete around the two of you, I shouldn't feel safer when I can smell you. I think my brain is compensating for the lack of my wolf by enjoying yours." I had never told him this before, I always felt slightly shameful of feeling so basic, so feral around them.

"I never knew that," he said to me with a shocked expression. I nodded my head.

"I think you fill something that Henry and Lillian should have provided for me. Like a lost wolf pup, you took me into your family and nourished me. It's just a theory, but the older I get the more I can sense what is real, the truth just shines brighter to me." I wanted to say the closer I got to death the more I could sense the truth, but we had enough of the heavy talk today.

"I never thought about all of us like that, it makes sense when I think back on it. Neither I nor Gray have ever slipped up around you as wolves. We were so volatile to everyone, but with you I can't remember even one time we were too rough," he said looking off thoughtfully. I didn't think I could stand any more reminiscing so I decided to change the subject.

"Well at least I don't have to embarrass myself and get kicked out for trying to dance like a drunken monkey on a sedative," I mumbled to myself. I heard James laugh.

"Yeah I don't think we would have enough time to teach you a routine," he said a humorous smile gracing his face.

"Speaking of which," I said taking a sip of my tea. "When is this whole celebration going to take place?" I made eye contact with him and noticed he had a grim look on his face.

"It's Saturday night," he said quietly.

"Which Saturday night?" I asked as I got up to grab my calendar down from the wall near my house phone. I brought it back to the table and it was then I noticed he still didn't respond to my question.

"It's the fifth," he said to me looking away after he said it. I looked at the dates again.

"Of which month?" I asked him, scanning to check the following month but the fifth landed on a Tuesday.

"Of this month," he said quickly back as he sipped his coffee.

"That can't be right Jameson, the fifth is only three days away," I told him. The look of apology written all over his face was enough to tell me what I feared.

"So I have essentially two days, if I don't count tonight, to prepare myself."

"Yes Han," he said sounding a bit defeated. He took a long drag from his coffee. I heard a noise again, one I had heard several times before when we first got into the apartment. I realized then it was the vibration of his phone in his pocket.

"Take the call James, I don't want to give her the wrong impression," I said to him proud of the maturity I had taken. While I had hated her in the beginning, there was always a piece of me that always knew it was misdirected anger. I guess when it came to Christina, I knew it wasn't her fault. It was fate that brought her together with Jameson and I couldn't blame her for it. I didn't envy her new position either, on top of dealing with the presence of me she had to deal with her impending new status in our clan. Heavy is the furry head that wears the crown.

He got up from the table, sliding the glass and stepping onto the patio to talk. I left to go and take a much needed shower, giving him space to talk without the worry of me overhearing his call.

I came out feeling about as clean as I could, and it made a drastic difference in my mood. I noticed he was sitting at the table, head in his hands.

"It went that well huh?" I asked him noticing the change in his demeanor.

"It wasn't Chris," he told me. The tone he used rattled me. It was so serious and grave.

"Want to talk about it?" I asked him as I took his cup to refill it.

"That was your father," he said. It took a supreme amount of willpower to stop myself from spilling the coffee all over the floor. I waited for him to expand, at the moment I was having a hard time working my vocal cords.

"Someone spotted you yesterday on the deck and called him," he told me. It didn't surprise me. He had little spies all over our community. I had thought about it but when I saw those chairs, but I made my decision to stay out there regardless.

"This going to be trouble for you James?" I asked him with as much seriousness I could put into the statement. I wouldn't drag him into some half cooked plan if he was going to suffer for it.

"I told him you came by to talk about selling some stock. I don't think he suspects anything." I breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm going to tell you something you are not going to like at all, but I want you to respect my wishes," I told him as I sat down again in the chair opposite him. "If there is any backlash from this, if you feel like this is going to blow back on you, if things go bad, you need to get out. You say or do what you have to in order to keep Gray and yourself safe. My father needs to be replaced, and this clan needs to be led by a good man. Let my fate be in my own hands while you take care of your family." He had closed his eyes during his speech but he nodded his head slightly in agreement. It made me feel exponentially better that he listened to it. What he did with that was out of my hands, but I hoped he listened because I had a bad feeling about all of this.

I woke up the next morning feeling a bit sore in more spots than normal. The day's events came rushing back to me in a blur and it took me a moment to collect myself. I stumbled in my usual way to make my coffee and I noticed that both Gray and Jameson were fast asleep still, awkwardly situated on my pullout couch in the living room.

After I we talked, I had tried in vain to get James to go home. He refused, like I knew he would, and I had him help me make up the bed for him to stay.

"You really should go home Jameson," I told him.

"Just stop Han, let me have this with you. Let me have this before..." he didn't finish the sentence but I knew what he meant. I conceded him the moment with me, I selfishly wanted it as well.

"I am going to assume Gray will be over when he gets off his shift?" I asked him, more rhetorically than anything else.

"Of course he is, I'll just let him in when he comes up if that's okay?" he asked me as he peeled off his shirt and shimmied out of his jeans. I blushed, and it was such an unexpected reaction that my mind almost froze. As shifter, and as childhood friends and later lovers, we had spent many moments like these. Sexual and not sexual alike. It had been quite a while since I had been around him like this and it caught me off guard. He seemed either oblivious to my shyness, or he just didn't care because he slipped without another word under the covers of the sofa bed.

I leaned over and turned off the light on the side table, leaving the small light on in the kitchen in case he needed to use the restroom. I looked to him again before I left, half in shadows that played over the substantial muscles of his chest and abdomen. He looked untouched by time, like the handsome strong man I had watched him grow into. It seemed so long ago.

I reached over and ran a hand through his hair, and in a moment of recklessness I bent down and gave him a chaste kiss on his lips. I wasn't looking for more, I just wanted to feel them one more time. I didn't need to tell him it was my own version of goodbye, I wouldn't do the long farewell scene before I left. I could feel the tears running down my face, splashing on his skin like salty rain.

"Don't be so dramatic Hannah," he said to me as he wiped my tears off my face. "It isn't a goodbye, I'll never let you leave me," he said to me, as he had many times before. It was the same idea, the same words that applied to so many different times in my life.

I knew he didn't mean to make me feel worse, but that phrase held a different meaning to me than it did to him. By the look on his face he was trying to remind me that I still meant something to him. Instead, it made me think of how he never quite delivered on that promise. Now it made my tears stream a bit faster, thinking that it might be the very last time he ever said it to me again. I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. I stood up and made my way out of the area to walk down the hallway. I turned around right at the mouth of the opening to the hallway, deciding I wasn't going to leave anything unsaid.

"You keep telling me that Jameson, but if you wanted to keep me with you then you should have fought for me," I told him. I took a deep breath, "You should have told Henry to fuck off, and you should have told Christina it was too late for you. I understand now why you didn't, but you don't get to say that shit to me anymore. You lost the chance to make me stay when you chose your title, when you chose her." I hoped it didn't come out bitchy. I was going for cool truth, not cold anger.

I looked back to him and saw understanding. It was the one of the most honest moments of our entire relationship. He didn't look hurt by it, shocked a bit but not upset, and I didn't intend it to be taken that way. It was something that I needed to say to him. I didn't wait for, or need a response from him back. I almost turned to go back to my room and then thought for second and spun to face him again.

It wasn't proper, and I knew it was a bit wrong considering the fact that he was mated now, but I felt I earned a little selfish behavior. I grabbed the remote off the table moving towards the sofa and sat down next to him in the bed. A look of shock crossed over his face but he quickly covered it with a smile as he held his arm for me. I curled up on his side and I flipped on the T.V. so we could watch something for a while. I just wanted to sit here with him for a little. Dramatics aside, it might be the last time I had with him. I tried to hide a sigh at the feeling of us together again. It wasn't in a romantic or sexual way, even though those memories were there for me, but it felt more like the way we were together as kids. The refuge and shelter that I took in him at one point in my life got me through some pretty bad spots. I wanted to feel it one more time, and it was definitely the time I needed it the most. I finally felt secure, even if the moment would be fleeting

I had a sense of satisfaction, of getting some of my complicated feelings out and off my chest. I was never very good at not burning bridges, I was good at running, but not so great at working for closure in my relationships. I felt some pride at the moment I could get to now with Jameson.

Once I thought about what I was going to be facing over the next few days, all those good feelings vanished. I knew it was going to be a long night for me, I could feel all the questions and plans bouncing around in my head. I noticed James was breathing deeply now and I snuck a look that confirmed he was asleep. I got up, careful not to rustle the bed too much, but with my bum leg it didn't go so well and I saw him stir.

"I have whisky in the top cabinet above the fridge. Try to get Gray not to drink it all when he comes," I told him softly as I kissed the top of his head and forced myself to walk to my room and didn't look back.

Chapter 8

I tried to stop thinking about the night before as I pulled the coffee can out of the fridge and began making a full pot, silently praying they wouldn't drink it all before I got a cup in. Gray was an even bigger coffee fiend than I was.

"Will you quit all that banging? You sound like an elephant stomping around that tiny kitchen," Gray whined at me from the living room as he tried to stuff his head under his pillow. He was never a morning person, and I was guessing that hadn't changed with age.

"Shut your mouth or you get no coffee!" I yelled back at him, leaning in so that he got the full effect of the tone. He cringed at the noise and I chuckled to myself.

"I'm hopping in the shower. If you don't leave me at least one cup I will cut you," I told him as I went to the bathroom.

I was pleasantly surprised when I found that they had left me some coffee by the time I came back out dressed. The twins were at the table, my poor little dinette was covered inch to inch in food. I hoped the weight of it all didn't break it in half.

It all smelled wonderful and I grabbed a plate to eat at the counter. I heard Gray protest but I waved him off as I went to grab my pills. I did my little routine and then I prepared myself to put into place what I had planned on doing the night before. I had spent the majority of the night coming up with a plan of how to handle the next two days. Some of it was doable, some of it made sense, but most of it was insane. I just had to trust my gut, and hope my body could hold on for the ride.

"James, I need the name and number of the dance company. I can call and set up the rest with the madam, I don't want you two involved in this anymore than you are already. I couldn't forgive myself if anything happened to either of you. That is not negotiable either," I told them. Gray held his hands up in mock surrender while James glared at me.

"Her name is Joy, the studio is called The Joy of Dance. The front of the business is the dance studio, and she recruits some of the dancers for the private parties. I would suggest not leaving a message containing the information for Sat, I have a feeling she tries to keep the two sides separate. I'll leave it on the counter before we head out," James told me in a slightly defeated tone. I knew he wouldn't be on board with me handling things from here. But we had two different strategies, and I knew he would never agree to mine if I disclosed it to him ahead of time.

"How was last night?" I asked Gray as I took another bite of my breakfast.

"Boring, I don't even know why we still continue to do patrols. We haven't found an intruder in ages," he answered me with a tired sigh. I noticed him give Jameson a glance but I let it be. If they wanted to tell me they would.

"Did Henry give you any more trouble?" I asked them both.

"No, he hasn't called again, I wouldn't worry about him too much Han," James told me. I nodded my head him, I would try and put my father out of my mind but he had a unique ability to ruin things in my life so it was hard to let go.

We sat and finished our food, making small talk about jobs and life in general. When the natural conversation died down, I knew I had to address the bigger issues we were all politely ignoring. I cleared my throat, and by the way they adjusted their posture they knew we had entered the serious talk phase of the morning.

"I am going to assume you two will keep up my apartment," I told them hoping I was giving off a business like tone. I needed to keep my head this morning and not let the emotions of what I was doing, what I was planning for, mess me up.

"Of course, your landlord tells us you are paid up until the new year, hopefully you will be back by then but if not we can extend the lease," Gray told me. I had guessed they would do that, but I needed to cover my bases.

"If I don't get back, I want you to sell everything and donate it. There is a box in my closet of pictures and mementos, you can do with them what you choose," I told them sitting up a little straighter. They looked like they understood, but I wanted to be clear. The thought of trying to accomplish everything with things back here hanging on my conscious was too much to handle.

"If I die, and I need to be clear with you, it is likely," I said taking a deep breath when it wouldn't come out. "If I die, I want you to mourn me and move on. If any of this gets back to Henry or the leaders I want you to deny all of this ever happened." I held up a hand to stop Gray and James who looked like they were about to protest. "I know it goes against everything you hold as honor, but you cannot protect me anymore. You have your own lives, your own families now," I said directly James. He paled out almost completely across from me at the table.

"I know she's pregnant Jameson, it's okay. I don't blame you for not telling me sooner, I heard it from someone I ran into a few weeks back. It was the reason she was so distraught at your helping me. I can understand it, and I would think less of her if she didn't stick up for her new family. You will be an exceptional father, I have no doubt and this will be a great example of it. You will let me go right now, and you will continue to let me go even if things go bad with me," I said to him. I was surprised I wasn't sad or crying at this point. I felt it was too important to mess up. I would cry later, safe in the confines of my own room.

"Gray, you have so much ahead of you. You have Lindsay, and your team. Those boys love you, I wish you could see how they look up to you. It's a gift to earn a child's affection that way and you are more than worthy of it all," I told him. They were both sitting stock still, I knew it couldn't be easy to sit there and take all of this. I was used to the idea of me dying, it was much harder for others to reach the point where they could talk about it as well. "I will not allow you throw that away for me." They didn't say anything back, I was guessing they saw the cold determination in my stare and wisely decided not to push me on this.

"So," I said looking to Gray, "Jameson tells me I leave tomorrow night for this party. You have any more information for me to go on or I am going in about as blind as I am now?" He crooked a grin at me, and I almost lost it right there. I knew he was proud of me for handling everything and I had to look away from him for a second to gain some composure.

"I only know things about Eli and his parties, most are things we have heard through the grapevine," he told me grimacing. If all we knew were rumors, then I was screwed.

"I know all the gossip that you do so I don't want to hear another rumor. It wouldn't help me once I get in, I need to play that part by ear. There are too many variables that I need to address for me to make any firm plans. Thankfully, I have had enough practice dealing with royal games and political bullshit that I should be able to manage once I get in. If I get in," I added in at the end holding up a finger. It still was a long shot to get him to invite me to stay.

"I am going to suggest something that you won't like but I think it will help you here," James said to me. I held out my hand in invitation to his advice. "I think that when you get there and stay, and I do think you will get there, that if you get into a difficult situation you act like Henry. When it comes to the more, delicate, areas of question you should act like Lillian. The combination of the two of them should get you through it. As for the rest, you shouldn't change a fucking thing," he finished with a smile. It was a good plan, a I appreciated the compliment.

"You're right that is a horrible thought, not without merit though, which makes it harder to swallow," I told him honestly. It was a good idea, if anyone could pull this off it would be one of them. To learn and know the finer points of manipulation, they needn't look further than my parents. It was one of my major objections to this whole plan in the beginning. Acting like them sounded like selling my soul to the devil, like I was giving up what set me so separate from them. That's when I came up with my plan last night. Not that I was going to share this with them, they would never let me leave.

"Okay well, what I really need to know is if the girls that Joy uses for his parties know about what they are getting into, do you think they know about the vampires?" I asked both of them.

"Joy knows what Eli is, but from the way she talks about him she trusts him to take care of the girls. She said that there has never been incident with one of them that has led her to question that. There is some minor memory manipulation upon their return obviously, but outside of that she says her employees are very fond of his parties," James said sounded just as surprised as I was about it.

"But she didn't say that they were never bitten? I find it hard to imagine they weren't at least a little rough with them," I told them. The looks on their faces mirrored their concern.

"She said that they always wipe their memories of the feedings, for secrecy purposes, but that it would never get out of hand. She said there have been visible bite marks but never any permanent damage to anyone, ever," James said. It was very surprising. I guess if they wanted to keep the girls coming they would have to keep them healthy. Something didn't seem to match up between the person Eli was supposed to be, and the person Joy was describing. It made me both curious and apprehensive to meet him.

"Well can you tell you tell me anything about his new wife?" I asked them, hoping to catch a break somewhere in these talks.

"All we know is that it was arranged as part of a territory deal. It has been whispered that they cannot stand one another, but since I know you don't want to hear any rumors I won't go any further. I can tell you a bit about his wife. Her name is Marcy Lefevre, her father's side of the family is from the French noble lines and he is the one that controls most of the seaports in Europe." I choked a bit on the coffee I was sipping. This just got better and better, perhaps it was more of an avalanche of shit versus the former steady downhill.

"I am going to assume it is the same family that controls the Lefevre seethe in Europe? The seethe that occupies nearly all of Paris?" I asked more rhetorically more than anything else. Everyone in our clan had heard of their name, they were in the higher echelon of society with the vampire realm. Not to mention they were tentative allies. Gray nodded at my assessment of them, looking regretful of having to tell me that.

"Well, that could prove to be a problem. We hosted the Lefevre's at our house several times when I was a child. I never attended for dinner, or any of the other events, but it's not like they locked me in the basement for anything either. I think the chances are slim that she or any of her family will recognize me though," I said. I looked up and notices some blank and semi pale faces looking back at me.

"I almost forgot about that, Han," Gray said as he exchanges a nervous glance at his brother. "I knew they had been here some time ago, but I never knew they visited the Alpha house like that." We all processed that information for a second, it was a complication to be sure, but not something that would change my strategy.

"Maybe you should think about changing your...look," Gray said to me, shaking all of us out of our thoughts. I was just thinking the same thing in that moment but I wanted him to clarify what he was thinking when he said 'look'.

"What did you have in mind?" I asked him. He looked wary, I think men had a permanent fear of insulting a woman if they suggested something about their appearance. Not that we ever did well with those suggestions, so I think their fear was probably warranted.

"I think the hair gives you away a bit," he told me looking to James who had his jaw clenched at the idea. I knew where he was coming from, it was an almost exact replica of the way my mother's hair looked. If anyone was going to make the family connection it could be started there. I knew the smart thing to do was cut it, but the problem is I loved my hair. It was long, and while not as thick as it was previously, it was a sunny blonde and bright. It set off my violet and brown eyes and it gave me a striking contrast. I knew I could change my hair, but it was the unique color of my eyes that had me the most worried.

"Well, I guess that settles where I need to go next then huh." I got up and went to my junk drawer to pull out the card of my hairstylist. I needed to get in there quick before I realized what I was about to do and stopped myself.

The twins got up to help me clean, and I knew what I needed to do. It was just a little harder to get the words out than I planned. I took a deep breath but nothing came out. My mouth felt suddenly dry, and I licked my lips a few times. How was I supposed to stand here and say goodbye to them?

"Don't," I said to them when I saw them start gathering plates. "I'm just going to clean up the kitchen, which by the looks of it will take a while considering you made about fifty pounds of food in here. It is going to be time consuming so feel free to let yourselves out. I'm sure you all have so much work to catch up on since I took up so much of your time yesterday. If you leave in a timely fashion I might not even notice you've left." I let out a breath after I finished. There I said it. It might have come out better if I wasn't crying the whole time and my voice wasn't breaking. I wasn't sobbing but I could feel the tears falling down my face and mixing with the soapy water that was filling the sink.

I looked at Gray who was just about to say something, but Jameson put a hand on his chest and shook his head. Gray clenched his jaw, but heeded his brother's request. I don't think I could have been more thankful that Jameson knew what I needed in that moment.

I looked at both their faces, trying to memorize the details one more time. I blinked the tears out of my eyes and turned my back on them, walking unsteadily to the sink as I began to fill one side with plates. I flipped on my kitchen radio, pressing play on the CD drive and turning up my favorite Outkast album. The beats took over my senses and I closed my eyes for a second to get a grip. I tried to block everything out, tried to ignore every grunt or exchange of words, or the sounds they were making behind me. I just took it one plate, one glass at a time until the noises quieted. I was about to turn around when I felt a presence at my back. I hand hit my hip, and I felt the smooth skin of Gray kiss my cheek for a second. It didn't last but two seconds and then it was gone, just like them.

I lifted the phone to call Joy, and I had to put in a bit of effort to get my hand to stop the subtle shake it held. It was like realizing the final nails in my coffin were being struck. I ran my free hand through my newly shorn hair. It was short now, and by short I truly meant short. It was what she called a pixie cut, it was just a touch shorter on the sides than the top part which hung over my forehead a little in a delicate sweep of blond hair. I would have never thought to ask for it, but it couldn't be more perfect. It was surprisingly very feminine but it made me look a little tougher at the same time. I realized I was staring at it again in the mirror, and when the phone quit ringing because someone answered it, I jumped.

"The Joy of Dance, this is Jackie speaking how can I help?" The person sounded bored and even a bit angry. Wonderful.

"Can I speak with Joy please?" I asked her in a bright tone. It came out a bit manic because of nerves but whatever.

"She just stepped in the back," she said back in a clipped tone. I heard a pop of gum and silence on the other end.

"I can hold," I told her politely, but I could feel my own tone reaching towards the less than friendly realm.

"I'm sure you can, how about you just call back later, or you can leave a message, we have all of our class information up online at our website too," she said with a sigh.

"I'll hold, if you would please tell her that Hannah called I'm sure she will want to take the call."

"Oh, so you're the new girl. You should have led with that, I thought you were another mom calling for the pole fitness classes. If Joy makes me do one more, I'll have to quit or just end my existence. I'll go tell her you called," she said to me in a way that was clear she was more friend than foe.

"Joy speaking," she said in an unusually high voice a few seconds later. I was picturing a heavyset madam, which didn't match up with this fairy voice. I didn't see a reason why she would be play a joke or a trick on me, so I had to assume it was really her.

"This is Hannah, Hannah Probst. I'm a friend of Jameson," I told her. Before calling I decided on a fake last name, a kind of weird splitting of my maiden and married names that I was hoping I could remember.

"Yes," she said in an almost skeptical tone, drawing out the word. "I assume he filled you in on our...arrangement, did you have any questions about Saturday?" She didn't seem too happy about the idea of me coming this weekend. It made me nervous, I wanted to be extra careful with her. I didn't like drawing attention to myself already, but if she was suspicious of me then she could blow this whole plan before I even got into the party.

"I'll just get this out of the way, I have no intentions of tarnishing your reputation with the Drake seethe. I don't know what Jameson told you but I have no designs to hurt him or anyone else at the party. I realize you are doing this with some hesitation and I appreciate your willingness to accept me in for the night. I won't be a problem for you or your company." I was met with silence. It lasted for a good twenty seconds and I was beginning to wonder if she hung up. Did I say too much or piss her off somehow?

"We leave at 11 from the studio here. It's a good hour drive from here, you can ride with me. I have to get you in your uniform and fit you. Jameson told me what he thought your size was but you should try it on first. It's very...tailored. My flat is above the studio, just ring the bell outside and I'll buzz you in." She hung up after that. Even though she was a bit short with me I think I managed to assuage her fears about bringing me along. Now if someone could ease my fears we'd be all set.

Chapter 9

When she said tailored, Joy meant practically painted on. My uniform consisted of a pair of black shorts, not too terribly short but the fit of them on my ass made them dangerous. The top was a black bustier with no straps or sleeves. I had no worries about it falling though, the lacing in the back was so tight there was no way I was getting out of it without a crowbar and some Crisco.

My breasts, the full C's that they were, stood at attention and threatened to spill over the cups. My chest, arms, and legs, were dusted with a small amount of powdered glitter, it was so subtle I could only tell when I moved in the light. The vamps would like it, they loved anything shiny. I had to admit my chest looked wonderful like this, I couldn't breathe but at least I looked great.

Joy had instructed one of the girls to do my makeup but I refused politely. I saw their faces and decided it wasn't really me. They all looked very nice, but I found that men preferred a little highlight instead of the darker shadows that seemed to be popular now. My eyes, because of their unusual violet color, were always noticed and I found I didn't need much else. She set up a large selection of perfumes but Vampires as well as shifters favored a woman's natural scent. Joy should know that by now, vampires were never shy about telling you what they like or want.

I kept looking at myself in the mirror of Joy's flat, which was by far the nicest looking condo I had ever seen, and was amazed at the opulence of it all. It was bright and modern, and the bathroom I was currently in was nothing short of divine. It had marbled counter tops, and beautifully tiled floors. The shower was one of those large, enclosed in glass, types with multiple shower heads and sprays coming from every direction. The sinks were bowls that we set on top of the counter, with elegant fixtures throughout. I was betting that most of this was possible because of her connection to Eli. A vampire of his age would be immeasurably wealthy and would pay her well. No wonder she was nervous about letting me come, I wouldn't want to lose that bankroll either.

I was currently sitting at the vanity, and waiting for my hands to stop shaking. I was nervous, anxious, and I had to admit even excited. I felt alive again, it scared me how much different I felt going in to this. Thankfully I still had some of my anxiety medication left that I kept around for emergencies. I think tonight qualified as one. I stood up and checked myself out again from head to toe. I looked stunning, very feminine, even with the short hair. The top and shorts worked my shape nicely, it emphasized my assets and drew attention to a small waist.

I was short, only five three, but I had a shorter torso and longer legs. Every run where I had to drag myself out of bed, every time I wanted to walk it out but forced myself to go on, I was now so thankful for. I had muscle on me, my legs, arms, and back were slightly sculpted. I felt strong, which is something I haven't felt in a very long time.

I checked over the uniform, bending down and standing back up to make sure nothing ripped or popped out. When I bent down I felt a rush of pain go up my leg. I had stretched before coming here but it apparently didn't help much. I did a few more stretches of my hip and I was drawn to the scars that marred my left leg as I was bending. If there was one part of tonight I wasn't so confident about, it would be them.

The one that was above my thigh was the worst, and there was no amount of makeup in the world to diminish it's looks. It was deep and even a little darker than the skin around it, and I had another on the upper right arm, as well as one right over my throat where they removed my thyroid. There was a spot from the chemo pump, but that was lighter and not as noticeable. I had to admit they made quite a sight and were hard to miss. They would either greatly help me get noticed, or they would be an instant turn off. I couldn't worry about them too much, they were just as much a part of me as everything else, and something that couldn't be changed.

I cleaned up the vanity, and went over to my bag to take my meds. I laid everything out and crossed them off my mental list as I made sure I took what I was supposed to. It was at the exact time that Joy came in through the doors to the guest bedroom that was attached to this bathroom. I tried to get all the caps on and back in my little plastic container when she came in. She took one look at me and the pills and turned red. I knew what it looked like, and it wasn't good.

"Jameson failed to mention that you were a pill head," she said in her cartoon voice as she glared at the bottle of pills in my hand.

"They're all scripts, I have cancer," I told her shrugging. I was not willing to play any games with her. When I looked for her reaction I got nothing. She treated this statement as if I had told her that the clouds outside were white.

"Well that sucks, at least you're not a drug addict like I thought there for a second. Grab your stuff and get downstairs. We need to be out the door in ten minutes," she told me as she turned to leave. I decided I liked Joy, she didn't get rattled often and wasn't big on bullshit. She cared about her business and wasn't shy about protecting it, so I respected her, even if she scared the daylights out of me.

I walked downstairs and watched all the activity that was happening in the large living room. There were going to be three girls dancing tonight, they were currently in silk robes with god knows what under them. At the moment they were sitting on one of the rich gray sofas that surrounded a big wooden and glass coffee table, all chatting and putting on some lotion. I didn't get their names when I arrived, and it seemed like they hardly noticed me at all.

I was going to be one of two attendants, not servers and Joy demanded I call it as such, and it was my job to both see to the girl's needs as well as the gentlemen in the private room. I would have my own cart of drinks outside the room and it was going to be supplied by the kitchens near the main ballroom.

The other server was a young girl, named Leighanne who seemed friendly enough. She had beautiful skin the color of dark chocolate and long dark hair that was expertly done in a high and chic ponytail. She came up to introduce herself when I came in and I was embarrassed to notice I only came up to her chest. She had to be at least five nine, five ten, and who knows how tall once she got her heels on.

Joy and Leighanne were running around and packing bags, I was assuming with extra outfits and makeup in them. I cleared my throat when I approached. I may have decided I liked Joy but she was still intimidating as hell.

"Can I help with anything?" I asked as I set my small duffle bag down by the door. She looked from it to me and didn't question my need to take it along after she saw my stash of pills upstairs.

"You can start packing up those bags over there in the back of the van. The black bags have the heavier stuff in them so put them on the bottom. Anything with an X on the luggage tag goes on the top."

I set about packing everything up, and realized I was breaking a good sweat. These bags were no joke, I wondered for the tenth time what was in them. I took the last load out and went back inside to get ready to leave. The three dancers swept past me as I went in, never even once glancing my way. They were too oblivious to me for me to take it as an insult.

"Don't take it personally," I head my counterpart say behind me. "They are always like that, I don't think they have said more than one word to me since I started working here. I think it is all the memory manipulation, it can't be good for them." I stilled completely when she said that. I didn't know anyone here was going to know what they were walking into.

"Leighanne, you're sitting in the middle with Hannah here," Joy said, cutting off any further discussion I could have with her. I was still standing there a bit shocked as Joy herded us out the door and into the van. The sliding door clanged shut and I felt the weight of that door as it closed on me. There was no turning back now.

Everything went in a sort of haze for most of the drive, I felt like I hung in a suspended state waiting for the ground to hit my feet. That was, until we entered the gates of the seethe. Then I almost jerked as reality slammed into me. To the outside human, it would just look like a gated community much like the one I grew up in. This was smaller than I had imagined it, unless some of the other citizens lived a little out of distance from the rest.

I had picked up from conversation that the party was going to be held in the main house, which would most likely be Eli's residence as well though I couldn't be sure it worked that way here. I tried to count the outbuildings and the number of houses close to the main one we were headed to. I mentally noted every guard, every checkpoint, which proved harder to do than I anticipated considered we went through four just to reach the house. I needed to know every scrap of information I could get my hands on in case I needed to run.

We pulled up to the house, well, it was too big to be called anything besides either a mansion or a small castle. It was made in a very traditional style but with some obviously modern touches. It was both old and new which gave it an intimidating feel. There had to be at least four levels of windows that I could see, and I suspected quite a few level below ground as well. The landscape however was sparse, most likely due to the fact that they couldn't be in the sun for long periods of time to tend to it. They wouldn't go up in flames right away, but after a good hour or two they would be so weak their bodies would start to degenerate and they can die. Then they usually go up in flames.

I was bumped in the back as I was staring up at the house, and I noticed it was Joy who gave a good glare on top of it to get me moving. I followed her up as she rounded the side of the house, presumably to find an alternate entrance.

"What time does all of this start?" I asked with a yawn as we climbed the stairs. We were going all the way up to the top floor. If we were up here, then I was guessing Eli resided either on a different floor or in another building. He wouldn't want us so close to his private quarters. I felt another yawn coming but stuffed it down. I wasn't used to working these hours, even if my sleeping was spotty at best.

"Get some coffee Hannah, we don't go on until after the men go off for their whisky later. If I were a betting woman, I'd say two thirty or three. It depends on Eli, we go on his schedule." She didn't wait for a response, not that she ever did that before either, and she sauntered away leaving me in her wake. I shook my head and followed her like a good doggy, my bag bouncing on my back as I tried to keep up.

The twists and turns we were taking was making it impossible for me to track where we were going. I was getting nervous at being so disoriented here, I liked knowing right where I was and where I could get out. I tried to focus on my breathing and steadying my beating heart. I didn't need the vamps suspicious of me too.

We reached a large guest room, the way in which everyone started setting up shop let me know they had used this room on a regular basis. I followed in last and shut the door behind me. Everyone seemed to be doing their own thing so I followed suit and went over to the couch at the far wall. I didn't need to get ready any more than I was now, and I had no intention of getting in anyone's way.

The couch was close to a window, and I was hoping to get a chance of scoping things out further. When I got over to it though I realized it opened into the back patio of the house and I could see much outside of the trees and green lawn with a pretty fountain.

I curled up on one end of the couch and took out my bag, reaching into the front pocket and grabbing my beloved MP3 player out of it. I never went anywhere without it, and I put on some calming playlists to set me up for this night. I quickly switched to some of my stand by rap instead, not wanting to fall asleep. I needed something to pump me up for tonight, even if I still had no clue what I was going to do. I shouldn't have said those goodbyes to Jameson and Gray, I would probably be back home in the morning.

I listened to my songs, feeling better once Leighanne came over with a coffee for me. I tried to figure out what she was, and why she was so willing to tell me that she knew about this place. I noticed more and more that she was very close to Joy, they talked the most over the course of the evening at her place and here as well. I still wasn't convinced that Leighanne wasn't something supernatural, but I didn't think she was a threat.

I heard some commotion over by where Joy was talking to Leighanne, and it was loud enough for me to tell they were arguing about something. I popped one ear bud out to listen in.

"I gave you one job tonight Leighanne, it was next to impossible to mess up. What the hell are we going to do now, ask Evan if he can rustle up some stripper music for us?" Her face was an impressive shade of red. I was expecting some steam to come out of her ears at any moment.

"I have music," I said smiling as I stood up from my perch. Everyone's eyes snapped to me and I made my way to them, trying my best to hide the limp. My leg had been tucked under me and now it was hurting like a bitch. "I even have stripper music," I said winking to Joy. I shouldn't have said it but I felt like it was in good fun.

"Give it Hannah," she said holding her hand out for my MP3 player. I noticed she was fighting a smile at my comment and it made me feel better.

"Not a bad selection, mind if I use it for the night?" I was surprised she asked instead of just taking it like I thought she would.

"As long as you treat her right and get her home before curfew," I said back fighting my own smirk.

"I like you," Joy said as she walked back to confer with Leighanne. She mouthed a thank you to me over Joy's shoulder. Yup, she was at least six one with those heels on. If we were wearing the same shoes I was in for a world of hurt, I hoped my leg would hold up for the night.

I went over to my bag, checked that I had everything I needed. I kept my phone with me but I turned it off. I didn't need to get a text from the boys that would send me into a sad spiral. I needed to try to put that part of my life behind me, if only for a night.

Chapter 10

Joy was right on the money, by about two thirty we got a call in our room that the 'gentlemen' were ready for us. No one else looked nervous, but I was having a hard time keeping a lid on my anxiety. I focused on breathing and reminding myself that I was dying. I shouldn't be scared of a little vampire. A vampire that was almost five hundred years old, a vampire that had never lost a challenge, never lost a war. A vampire who hated my family with the fire of a thousand suns. Easier said than done.

We walked down, and I was surprised that we were heading downstairs. I had assumed this would be a more private affair, something to keep away from the delicate females and spying wives. We stopped at the floor above the main one, and the music that was blaring from the ballroom was vibrating the floor under us. We entered through a side door, in an adjacent room that was big enough for us all to sit comfortably. The beverage cart was in the corner, and it spared no expense when it came to its contents. I was immediately thankful I had waitressed before, I was going to need those skills tonight.

"What does the room look like?" I asked as I made sure my outfit and makeup looked good still.

"It's like a mini version of a ballroom. There is an area for more private...sitting," Leighanne said to me at my side. She was checking her makeup as well. I had to almost look up to her just to see her face. We looked a bit ridiculous side by side. She continued, "There is a larger area with a dance floor of course. The acoustics are great in there, and the guys are always very...generous." She said it with a wink like I knew what it meant. She must have saw the confusion on my face.

"They tip big," she said to me. I could tell there was more going on behind her eyes but I simply didn't know what to make of it so I let it go.

"What are you?" I asked her turning my whole body so that she was turned the opposite direction as the dancers and Joy who were conversing in the far corner of the room. Leighanne looked startled for a second but remained composed.

"My grandmother was a witch, I didn't luck out in the gene pool but as it turns out I am incapable of having my memories manipulated. It was quite a shock the first time I came here, I didn't know what was happening when he sat me down and looked into my mind. It was, unnatural," she said with a visible shudder. "Needless to say it didn't work but Joy had a talk with them about me. I've been working these for almost three years now."

She was just about to say something but Joy interrupted her. I didn't know if I had an answer to the question she was most likely going to ask me. Just who the hell was I supposed to be anyway?

"You girls are up, fluff those tits and get out there," she said as she handed each of us a pad of paper and pen. I put the pen behind my ear and gave her the paper back. I tapped my head letting her know I had it all up here, when it came to memory I was exceptional. At least I used to be.

"What's the pen for?" Leighanne asked as we walked through the doorway.

"For autographs," I told her and when she looked at me strange I laughed. "They see the pen but not the paper, they are going to be looking for where I'm keeping it," I said wagging my eyebrows. She laughed and we entered the room.

Our laughing must have been a bit out of place, or it wasn't usual, because every male eye in the room was staring at us. I was expecting the reaction, and it was one of the reasons I had tried to make a joke. I noticed, mainly from the ramblings of the twins growing up, that guys liked a girl who could laugh. It never failed to draw attention.

I leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Nice touch Leighanne. If you want to have some fun with them, follow along and I can double your tips tonight." I felt her nod and then made my way to one side of the room. I tried not to wobble on my heels and I luckily made my way to the far corner without incident.

The room was decorated in candles, all scent free I noticed. There was low lighting in the room, just one step lighter than a good jazz bar. It was enough to see everything but keep the ambiance. It looked like a good mix between a bar and a coffee joint. I had marked a play list for the before show time drinks and I was glad that Joy stuck to it. It was classy and sexy at the same time.

"What can I get you gentlemen to drink tonight?" I asked the first group of guys. They were four vampires, sitting at a small round table in the corner. I was guessing that they were either visiting or lower ranking, as indicated by their seats. Vampires stuck to order and rank like the military. It was a sign of status and respect to acknowledge the rank of the others in the room. I was guessing that they were usually served last but, I wanted the head guys to get a good look at both of us before we headed over. Anticipation was a key to foreplay, in the bed or out.

I continued around the room, the men seemed to be in a good mood, but there was an undercurrent of underlying wildness just waiting for the right time to come out. For now, they were courteous, trying to sneak glances when they thought I wasn't looking. It would change later on I was sure but for now I let them look. I couldn't go out too strong or everyone would lose interest. I cringed at the thought that I really was my mother's daughter.

I got to the center and just as I was about to greet the main table, I went over to whisper something into Leighanne's ear. "How am I doing?" I asked her softly, smiling as though we were sharing a fond memory.

"Every guy is eating out of our hands, I've never seen them so intrigued and they know me," she said pulling away grinning widely. I turned away and almost faltered when I came upon the main seating arrangement. There were eight men, three on each sofa and one in each wing backed chair that rounded out the rectangle of seats. I had no clue which one was Eli, but I figured I would play it by ear. If he wanted special treatment he was going to have to earn it. If I learned one thing from growing up with shifters it was how to play for dominance. It was a subtle skill, but one I knew well.

"What can I do for you all tonight?" I asked as I sat down on the couch. I crossed my legs over one another and reached down as if to adjust the strap on my heels. They waited, thinking that I was going to stand again but I never did. I looked to each of them, and then looked to who they were all looking to. And there he was.

Eli sat on the sofa, not in one of the wing backed chairs that I would have guessed he would perch on. He looked tall, though he was sitting so it was hard to tell. He had rick chestnut hair, and two of the most onyx colored eyes I had ever seen. They should have been repulsive but I found them intriguing. He had a subtle amount of stubble on his face, like he couldn't be bothered to shave. His tux, a dark metal like gray, was tailored to within an inch of its life and it hugged his substantial frame with grace. He looked like a magazine ad in the flesh.

"Would you like to go first Eli, everyone seems to be waiting on you?" I asked him holding my eyes to his. They flashed red for the barest of seconds and then they returned to the black depths they were before. I sent a wave of heat through me, I could almost feel his power from over here. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Leighanne go a bit still.

"How do you know who I am?" he asked me, looking curious. I crossed my legs again and I found him staring at my scars on my wrists as I linked my fingers together over my knee. I didn't hide them, even though I was itching to move my hands I held them still.

"Everyone looked to you, they were looking for your lead. I didn't think you'd me much of a celebrated birthday boy if they did that with anyone else." I went for neutral and matter of fact with it. Almost like it bored me to explain myself.

"I'll have a whisky, neat," he said, but not before he paused for a beat. He turned to continue talking to the one to his right. I went around the rest of the group and got everyone else's orders. I didn't feel like I offended him, but he wasn't sure what to do with me. It's exactly where I wanted to be.

I turned and waltzed towards the doorway, opening it and finding every single person in the room staring at me, some even had their mouths open. Nice to meet you too.

"How the hell did you do that?" Leighanne asked, almost laughing.

"I worked at Hooters when I was a kid to piss off my parents," I said as I shrugged. It gave me more life lessons than I could count.

"What about all the skills with the guys. You had every one panting by the time you rounded the room, I've never seen anything like her Joy," Leighanne said to a clearly not surprised Joy. I didn't think anything surprised her.

"I was married, and when he left me for another woman I may have...overcompensated for lost time." It was an understatement of vast proportions, but I vowed never to go back there and feel bad about it. I did what I needed to do to get over Jameson, even if it was self-destructive. That could be my middle name really.

"Knock 'em dead," Joy said as I filled my first tray with drinks and headed back. If she had any reservations about my strategy she didn't show it. Variety and interest, with a group like this was crucial to business. If they got bored they got someone else. I liked Joy so I was going to try my best to get her a ten year contract.

I walked in with my tray and I tried not to smile when I felt Eli's eyes on me. He tried to hide it quickly but I knew he was looking for me, if only for a second. I made a random pattern of serving them, trying not to linger too long or too little with any of them. I needed them all to think they had a chance with me. I leaned over to hand Eli his drinks, and as I placed it on the small table in front of him he grabbed one of my wrists and ran a finger down the length of the scar on one hand. It startled me, and it pissed me off that it startled me.

If I were truthful, I respected people more when they called me out on them instead of staring. Touching them was another thing altogether and I wasn't sure what reaction he was looking for. Instead of snatching my hand back I let him get a good look at it. I could feel eyes on us, even though they were trying to keep up their own conversations.

"It was too much," I said to him, answering the question he was either about to ask or wanted to ask. He scrunched up his brows and then smoothed them out in the next breath. He had such tight control on his mask it was nice to see me so readily smash it. I noticed he was running a finger back and forth over the scar. I worked with all my might to suppress my shiver.

"What was too much anjinho?" he asked me, leaning into my personal space an inch. I tried to remember what he said, I wanted to look it up later but it sounded so nice coming out of his mouth I didn't care at the moment.

"Everything," I said and turned away to grab another tray.

I found the dancers were standing now near my drink station. They looked like they wanted to talk to me. Great.

"I've never gotten Eli to notice me before," the blonde said to me looking like she was going to pout. I really didn't want to hand out advice to my competitors but I couldn't help myself.

"Then you probably never will, he's the kind of man that goes for what he wants when he wants it," I told her honestly. "Focus on the rest and look for the one guy that is still looking at you when you put clothes back on. He's the one that wants your attention and your time." I turned and walked back out into the room. The song that came on was one of my favorites. The singer had a haunting quality in her voice and it was offset so nicely by the semi techno beats behind it. I found myself moving a bit more freely through the crowd, allowing the song to invade my body. This was the reason I loved music, it had its own unique ability to speak to people.

I had hit all the ones that needed their drinks still, and then did another round to check on how everyone was doing. I went back to the middle once again.

"Gentlemen, the main entertainment will be out shortly. Can I get anyone anything else before then?" I looked right at Eli, and then scanned the faces of the others. I noticed the one on his sofa was also intent on looking at me, and he looked too much like Eli to not be a brother. He had the very same features but his face was softer, the angles of his face were more rounded. He had a boyish look to him, and a mischievous gleam in his eye.

"Nothing for now, Hannah," Eli said to me, watching my face for a reaction from me. I just smiled, he was trying to mess with me, but only I knew it wasn't going to work. Thanks mom and dad, you did give me something after all.

"Well then Eli, you know where to find me," I told them over my shoulder as I left to go in the back again.

The girls were getting ready to go on and my jaw dropped at their outfits. They weren't strippers, they were burlesque dancers and they were stunning.

"You all look amazing," I told them. Their vintage style outfits fit them to a tee and their figures were out of this world. Small waists and voluminous curves in all the right places. I looked to Joy and saw her give a satisfied smile.

"Thanks," they said in unison, flashing me genuine smiles, and left to enter the room. I refilled some of ice in the buckets in the back and when the music hit for them to preform I went over to Leighanne.

"When do you usually do another round?" I asked her as I tried not to peek at the show in the front. I was so curious about what they were doing.

"I'll let you know, I play it by ear but mostly I go back out after about two songs," she said looking at me intently.

"When we go out there, linger a little by the stage. Just a glance here or there. The lesbian bisexual card has been played so often it's almost cliché but if you act innocently curious they will eat it up. Just a subtle move from you should do it," I told her and she nodded and grinned.

"What are you going to do?" she asked me.

"I'm going to be a bit less, subtle," I told her cryptically.

"I bet you were a favorite at Hooter's, had one of those gold plated pictures up on the wall?" she asked me. I laughed and enjoyed the memory of working there.

"I had my own bouncer," I told her proudly as I went about checking my makeup and such. I took a moment to stretch my leg out, it was feeling okay but I wanted to keep it loose.

"That's a pretty wicked scar there," she noted as I bent down.

"Cancer," I told her as I continued to move a little to the music. It felt good still and I was glad it was holding up so well for me tonight. She whistled at my admission but didn't say anything.

Leighanne didn't respond to my comment after that, and we worked in companionable silence she motioned to me that we should go back out there. I nodded and she smiled, and we walked back out and made our rounds. I decided I would be kind and go to the center table first. I approached and found Eli was gone. I tried to hide my disappointment but I plastered on a smile and worked on the rest in the group without pause.

"How are you all doing over here?" I asked the two in the chairs and the ones that were on the sofas. They rattled off their orders and Eli's possible brother got my attention by tapping my elbow. I bent down so that he was slightly above me. I wanted to seem to give him the upper hand. He looked pleased at me bending down like that.

"How do you remember everyone's orders like that?" he asked with a grin. Could it be so easy? He just handed me a great opportunity. I just hoped I was right and Eli was watching me from somewhere else right now.

"Practice," I told him cryptically letting him notice my eyes wandering to the front of the stage where the same blonde as before was working the crowd. I bit my lip slowly, letting it rake through my teeth.

She was down to her garters, thong, and tassels. She could really move, and I found myself not having to work so hard to act like I was interested in what she was doing. It was an interesting balance between something highbrow and something animalistic in the way she moved. The two others were talking up some of the other guests, working the crowd like they were a regular Vegas act.

I could almost hear him swallow as he watched me watch her. Guys were easy to play sometimes, but I wanted and needed to make an impression tonight.

"Anything else...?" I asked him, leaving it open ended.

"Evan," he said as I shook his hand. I stood up, grimacing at the pain in my leg. Evan didn't seem to notice though, he was staring at the blonde in front. I would have to pass on that little tidbit to her, and what better time than the present.

I purposefully made my way towards the front of the room skirting the tables nearest where she was dancing. I was making eye contact with her throughout my trips and as I made my way towards the center table right in front of the stage, she looked like a light went off. Finally, she seemed to catch my drift, and I looked over my shoulder to her and looked behind me so she would get what I wanted. She was dancing right in front of the group next to me, and I started moving my own hips to the beat of the song that was playing. It was one of my favorites and I let my body take over for me as I noticed several pairs of eyes looking my way.

I noticed her behind me now, adjusting her hips to my own pace. She was close, but not close enough to touch me. It was just the right distance to make everyone imagine us touch and it was right where I wanted it. I laughed when she spun around me, dancing with far more skill than I ever would have. We could have been two friends dancing in a club at that point, it was perfect.

I had one last drink on my tray, it was tequila. I thought I had noticed her eyeing it earlier in the back so I put it on there at the last moment. She came back around to me and I turned and tucked my tray behind my arm. I lifted the glass in invitation, and she took a step forward. I tilted the glass to her mouth, and she tipped her head back. I poured the shot down her throat and she swallowed slowly. She righted her head, and I reached out with my thumb to stop a drip of the tequila from running down her chin. I leaned in and whispered "Evan," as I walked back towards the back.

I walked towards the door and stopped at where Evan was sitting. I leaned in and asked, "Do you think Elijah enjoyed it?" I looked back to his face and saw a very big smirk on his face.

"I can't imagine how he couldn't," he said to me as I got up and walked out of the room.

Chapter 11

It was the equivalent of half time here, and I was starting to get nervous. Eli wasn't anywhere to be found for the last hour or so and things were starting to look bad for what I was hoping to accomplish. Maybe I played it too aggressive, too upfront? No, I thought again, he was the ultimate alpha type. He wanted a challenge, and not just any challenge. I played it the way Lillian would, so why wasn't it working?

The dancers, who at this point I been properly introduced to, thought I was now an unofficial fourth member and the best thing since sliced bread. The blond was name Luciana, or Luci as she told me to call her. The other two were brunettes and they were Lana and Tamara. Luci was having good luck getting attention from Evan and I was glad to help her out. At least someone was getting attention from them tonight.

I felt my hands sweating a bit, and the feeling of time slipping away was getting to me. I came so far to go home empty, to die from a fucking disease I never should have gotten in the first place. I felt the anger ebb away at some of the anxiety and it made me focus on what I needed to do.

I was given a cigar tray now, I had less experience with them but Jameson and Gray picked up the habit from their father so I knew enough to get by tonight. Joy must have saw my hesitation because she took it out of my hands and gave it to Leighanne. She winked at me and then headed out.

"I could have done that," I told her, a whining edge tinted my voice. I just needed something to do other than pace back here and panic.

"You're better with drinks," she said as she shooed me out the door. She was right though, I was much better with drinks.

I walked in and my eyes went right to the center of the room and I almost sighed when I saw Eli sitting there, I was so glad he was back. Maybe tonight wasn't going to be a total wash after all.

He wasn't the only one there though. There was a group of people with him now, he had pulled up some chairs and it looked like he had brought a good ten more guys and even a few girls in. They didn't look to happy to be there but they came regardless.

"Ah, Hannah, there you are," Eli said warmly as I approached. I didn't know if these newcomers were friendlier or not, so I stuck with professional for a little while longer.

"Glad you're back Eli, what can I get for you and your new guests?" I asked him a bit more formally than I would if it was just them. These new ones threw off the balance of before that I worked hard to establish.

"I'll have the same as before please," he told me and he gestured to his side at the two younger looking men.

I continued to take everyone's orders, trying to feel out this new crowd. Should I amp it up or tone it down? I was so lost in my own ruminations that I almost didn't see the other woman that was seated just behind Eli.

My breath froze in my throat, I tried to remain calm but it didn't quite work. It was the same woman from my dream. I would recognize the hair anywhere but she was also wearing the same golden dress she did then. I must have looked like an idiot standing there but I couldn't help it really, it was like meeting a celebrity or something. What did this mean? I always had very vivid dreams, almost lucid dreams, but this had never happened before.

I needed to get out of here and gather myself in the back. Maybe one of those tequila shots would do the trick, or the whole god damn bottle. I shouldn't be worried about this when I had so much to do still. I turned to walk and go but my leg had a shot of pain run through it so fierce I almost fell to my knees. Before I could hit the deck, I felt a pair of strong arms helping me to my feet.

Eli stood to my side, holding my elbow as I steadied myself. It was like I could feel a path of heat go from his hand all the way up my arm. I wondered if he could feel it too. I put one of my hands on his, "Thanks," I whispered in his ear. He looked to my face and then bent, getting down on his knee, to check out my leg. His hands were large and they almost palmed my whole thigh. He ran his fingertips over the scar that marred its length.

"Anyone ever tell you it's rude to touch someone's scars like you do?" I asked him surprised I could keep my voice even and strong with his skin on my own. It was doing things to me that sent my blood pressure up.

"Is this what is bothering you, you seem to favor it?" he asked me ignoring my previous question. He looked fascinated by it. He probably never had an experience with injuries that didn't heal, he could seal a cut in a matter of minutes.

"Yes and no," I told him. My plan when it came of talking about me was to never outright lie to him, just get enough creative truth out there to appease us both. I realized at that point the thumb of his hand was precariously close to the inside of my thigh. His thumb moved as a result of him positioning his hand to get a better look at my leg. I sucked in a breath when it touched the very high inside of my thigh. I could almost feel an electric whip of arousal shoot through me and he snapped his head up to me when he noticed it too, my scent must be all over. I couldn't look away from him and it seemed he couldn't either. I heard a cough behind us and we both looked to Evan was now smiling like the cat that got the cream.

I looked behind him and saw the woman again. I didn't know what to do about her, I wanted to just ignore it but I couldn't. It was probably nothing, it might be something, but it was most likely nothing. She looked right at me and I got a very bad feeling about her, it sent a shiver through my bones. She wasn't so much sneering at me as she was Eli, like the act of touching a human was repulsive. Call it instinct, or precognition, but I felt that if I didn't do something soon things were going to get ugly. I needed to keep an eye on her as best I could. I reached for him to come back up.

"I'm fine Eli, thank you," I told him as he stood in front of me. He didn't respond, he just kept looking at me, like he was trying to figure me out. I gave him a smile and then moved to grab my drinks.

When I reached the entrance to the side room, the girls were ready in all new outfits for the next round of dances.

"Ah! I have never made this much here before!" squealed Luci as she threw herself into my arms for a hug.

"You're welcome," I told her warmly as I walked to reach in my bag and grab some pain killers. The last thing I needed was for my leg to give out and spill all the drinks on my tray on someone.

"Any chance you will become permanent?" Luci asked me from across the room. She, and everyone else that was listening in the back, and they looked so hopeful that I hated to do it but I wanted to be honest.

"I'm dying, cancer, so I'm only here for the night. But thanks for the offer!" I said cheerily back. I could have heard a pin drop in the room but I kept my back to them. I heard Joy interrupt someone and told them to leave me be. Yeah, I liked Joy.

By the time I turned around, the girls were already back on stage and I breathed a sigh of relief. I mouthed a thank you to Joy, and to my astonishment she smiled nicely back to me. Leighanne wasn't there I realized, and I wondered where she went to.

"Where's Leighanne?" I asked Joy when she hadn't returned by the time it was to get back out there for another round.

"Her mother and grandmother died from cancer, I don't think she took to well to your news. I suspect she left to get some fresh air," she said to me.

"I'm sorry sometimes I don't have a filter," I said but she waved off my comment.

"You can't control someone else's reactions, let her process and she will be back. In the meantime get your ass in gear," she said pointing towards the door. I laughed at her, she was such a trip.

"Be careful Hannah, this is the point in the night where _their_ filters start to come off," she said in a more serious tone.

"One question?" I asked her before I went out. She nodded for me to continue. "Do I go aggressive or demure?" I wanted to know if I could push them, I think they would like it but if would rough me up back I wasn't going for that strategy. I knew being a dominant male and having a female dominate them would be a thrill. I had the balls to pull it off and I was itching to do it.

I was behaving tonight like the old me and it felt so nice. It was so unlike how I was normally, this shell of the person I used to be. This was how I was before everything, I had a craving for life and for living it. I hardly ever held back in anything I did. I was the one that could play games with the wolves, play dirty with Jameson, could work at Hooters just to make Henry and Lillian furious. I felt alive here, and I never wanted this feeling to end.

"With the way Eli has been with you tonight you can do whatever the hell you want. No one in there is stupid enough to touch you." It made both of us smile.

I entered the room and noticed immediately that Joy was right, things were in a much higher gear in here now. I also noticed that word must have gone around about the fun in here because the room was crowded. I turned and stuck my head back in the side room.

"There is too many in there Joy, I either need backup or I shouldn't serve any of them anymore. I'll never be able to get them all and it's going to piss off the natives if I ignore some of them." She nodded at my assessment.

"I'll go and get some of the servers from the ballroom downstairs. This sometimes happens later on in the night I'll call down and send some of them up to help out." She turned and left the room.

I wandered around the side room while I waited for her to come back with reinforcements. I noticed the rack of clothing and decided I needed a wardrobe change, I was starting to get lightheaded with all the pressure my top was putting on my lungs. This corset was killing me, and I needed a fresh dress, something a bit less formal for the rest of the night. I found a dark purple number, it would set off my eyes nicely. It had thin and darkly beaded design around it and it looked like it wouldn't be too short on me, maybe coming down a little above my knee. As I turned the hanger around I noticed that it was completely backless. Jackpot.

I went behind the silk screen to change, Joy had brought it in for the girls but they had yet to use it. I felt a rush of release as I took of the uniform. It was so much nicer to be able to feel my skin breath a bit. I kept the heels on, my feet were already numb in them and I had a rule about shoes when I was out. I only took them off when I knew I wouldn't be putting them back on, otherwise it made it worse. I stepped around the screen and found Leighanne looking at me a bit sheepishly.

"I'm sorry I ran out on you like that," she told me.

"It's okay, I understand," I told her trying to give her a reassuring smile.

"I see you've changed," she said returning my smile with one of her own.

"You think Joy will mind? I couldn't work in that outfit anymore." She shook her head and went to peruse the selection of clothing as well. After a few minutes she came out in little black number. It was pretty modest but she was so tall it was dangerously short. It made her look fabulous.

"That's perfect," I heard from behind me. Boss lady was back. She whistled seeing the both of us changed.

"You don't mind?" I asked her. I didn't want to overstep what she wanted us to do tonight. This was still her show.

"No, it's fitting for the mood out there," she said to us as she continued instructing the rest of the servers.

I pulled a tray out and filled it automatically with the drinks at the main table, remembering what they were drinking from earlier. I let the other servers go out first, I wanted him to be looking for me, maybe thinking I wasn't going to come out. I counted to ten after the last of them left and walked back out.

The main seating area was moved a bit closer to the stage, but it was the same crew there as before. I approached, walking slow and feeling like I could move much better without all of the tightness of the top and shorts I had on earlier. I could move my hips more, but my left one was so tight I was hoping I could cover up my limp. I made eye contact with Eli and smiled as I approached, he looked from me to my leg. He must have noticed that I was still hurting. Besides him, everyone did seem to be in a lighter, more playful mood.

"Hannah," Eli said to me, and I had to fight another shiver at his voice.

"Good evening Elijah, how is your birthday treating you so far?" I asked as I refreshed everyone's drinks. I took their empty or almost empty ones and placed the fresh ones in its wake.

"It's been a good one," he told me cryptically. I couldn't really read his face at all. I noticed a woman was sitting close to his side now, she had her manicured hands all over his arm. She had dark brown almost black hair, and striking blue eyes, she would have been pretty except for the pout on her face. Why did girls seem to think that doing that made them more attractive? I didn't know if it was Marcy or not but I didn't think he would take her in here so if I had to guess, I would say she was a 'friend'.

"I see they sent in the cavalry in to help you two out," Evan said to me snapping me out of my thoughts. I was hoping Eli didn't catch me glaring at the girl by his side.

"I'm afraid word got around about all the fun in here and they wanted to see what all the fuss is about." I could feel Eli's eyes on me but I tried not to meet them. I wanted to be just slightly out of reach for him, for now.

"Well they deserve it," I said gesturing to the stage at the ladies there. They were all three doing a number, it looked to be the last one before they went off into the crowd for more...private entertainment. They really were magnificent up there, I could tell at least Luci had some formal dance training, she moved too well not to have had some.

"It wasn't just them they were talking about," Evan said to me on a whisper.

"Impossible, I'm just a girl. With no tassels either," I told him and winked back in a joking manner, but I knelt down to talk to him on a more personal level. I could sense he wanted to talk.

"Somehow I doubt that," he said back to me.

"I can assure you Evan, I struggle to breathe just like the rest of you," I said back. It was a line from one of my favorite poems, I think it highlights the similarities that we so often try to hide from one another.

"That's a beautiful way to describe life Hannah," he told me looking at me like he just really saw me. Yes I have breasts and a brain, thank you for noticing.

"Life is a beautiful struggle Evan. Mine is no different." I noticed movement to the side as Eli disengaged himself from the brunette and made someone move so he could sit somewhere else.

"Your scars tell a different story," Eli said to me leaning forward on his arms to talk to me. He was sitting next to Evan now, having thrown out the last occupant, and I could feel his brothers eyes widen at the bold move.

"My scars tell my own story. It is no better or worse than yours. Even if you hide yours at the moment. Come to think of it, should I feel for them and make it even?" I asked him, even if I was salivating at the thought of searching them out I was petrified to touch him on my own.

"Scars are the reminder of the struggle to breathe, as you so eloquently put it, so if they are a part of you why shouldn't I want to touch yours?" he asked me.

"Because you are too beautiful to touch something so ugly and full of pain," I said to him, feeling unable to lie or shrink back from this line of questioning. It wasn't the answer I wanted to give him, but it was the only one I could voice. There was something so magnetic about him. It scared the pants off me. He continued to look at me, and Evan was looking back and forth between the two of us like we were prize fighters in a ring.

"Pain can be just as beautiful, when you've had time to look back at it again," he said to me.

"That is true, but time is a fickle lover. Often it can chase you away from what you should see," I said to him.

"Spoken like someone who has been led astray. But how many lovers, besides time, are you sharing your bed with?" I was thrown by his question, had we moved on from talking about life to lovers? I couldn't read his damn face to tell.

"I court pain and guilt on a regular basis. Sadness and grief are guest stars, but I think that love is the biggest tease. She never stays in the morning," I said back. It was an honest answer, wrapped in a tone of jest.

"Sounds like you need to get laid," Evan said crassly to me. If I was being truthful I was glad not get off the subject.

"Oh Evan, you have no idea," I said with a smile as I chose the moment to rise and continue what I needed to do. Things were getting very real here and I wanted to keep it a little lighter.

I moved around the tables nearest them all the while trying to scope out the place for the redhead. I hadn't seen her in a while and I was starting to get that bad feeling all over again. It was a creeping feeling, like something slimy.

I finally spotted her towards the back, not looking as menacing as before. She was just casually talking to another woman, probably complaining about being dragged in here. I relaxed about her for a little, she didn't look like she was going to do anything. I had the weird feeling that perhaps I might be imagining it all. I hoped it wasn't another sign of my fast approaching decline.

The music stopped for the girls, and everyone erupted in cheers for them. I joined in, tucking my tray in my side and clapping. I put my fingers in my mouth and whistled loudly enough that I had drawn attention. The girls gave me a full smile and I gave them another, more suggestive whistle. They laughed and made their way through the crowd. I noticed the Luci made her way over and sat right in Evan's lap, playing with his hair and fixing the bowtie that was on his tux. I gave her a thumb's up when I noticed no one was looking.

I noticed the music had stopped, and I realized they must not have set up the next playlist. I walked over to Luci and Evan and bent down to talk to them.

"Where is the hookup for the music?" I asked her.

"Your MP3 player is docked in the stereo system. It's on the back wall in the corner," she told me her eyebrow raised in question.

"That was your music?" Evan asked me looking impressed.

"Yeah, she has like a million songs on that thing," Luci said.

"I'll be back, I'm going to play DJ for a moment," I told her as I got up and walked to where she said my MP3 player would be. I walked along the wall, searching for the dock station. I finally found it, and I pulled it free. It only took me moments to pull it free and I felt better holding it in my hands. It was always a source of comfort for me when I was going through my treatments. It reminded me of the position I was in now, I needed to fight for my life. I added some songs in to help me out and then I stood up and made my way back to make some more rounds.

I had just done another refresh, at this point I noticed that everyone was getting pretty juiced. The party section of the evening was in full effect, and I could tell the inhibition level in the room was so low it was on the floor. I could tell the vamps were having a hard time keeping their others sides hidden, and it was just a matter of time before all of that started to happen too.

I smiled when I noticed that Luci had managed to get Evan in her own corner and was doing things to him that would make even me blush. I couldn't judge, I was trying to seduce the most unavailable man in the room in the hopes of getting him to give me blood. God it sounded so ridiculous when I put it like that. I was flitting around the party like some sexy hostess, playing games I learned from my mother. I had seen my mother seduce enough men in my lifetime to be certified in teaching it. And here I was playing DJ for a room full of vampires I was supposed to pretend were just human. I suddenly felt very hot and I tried to quell the panic that was rising in me at the thought this whole night might not work, at the realization it wasn't working. What was I expecting to happen?

I stepped into our private room and I found Joy looking at me looking a bit concerned.

"You okay Hannah?" she asked me. I nodded, feeling a bit week in the knees. I needed to get away for a moment.

"I just need some fresh air. What are the chances of that happening?" I asked her.

"It's fine, I'll call down and let them know downstairs that you're going to take a smoke break. Here," she said pulling a pack out of her purse for me. I caught her meaning, hell I might even smoke one.

"Thanks, but those things will give you cancer. Has anyone ever told you that?" I could still hear her laughter as I closed the door.

Chapter 12

I stepped out of the room and into the hallway that we had come from. I remembered the general direction that we came in and I headed that way. I knew I had to go down, but I must have missed a step somewhere because I couldn't find the god damn staircase to save my life. I kept walking, deciding to just take random turns in the hopes I would come across it on my own. If not, I was going to have to find someone to ask. It seemed like everyone was at the party. Where were all the servants when you needed them?

I finally caught a bit of luck and found a staircase, feeling better that at least knew to head down. When I reached the level I thought I was shooting for I looked left and right, and I still didn't know where the hell I was. I decided to follow the path of the floor around, I didn't see anything that looked like an exit, or another living soul. I kept on walking and when I came to a door that didn't look like the rest, I rested my hand on the edges and I almost yelled in triumph when I felt air coming from the other side. I pushed the door open and I almost moaned when the fresh air and the summer breeze hit my skin.

I looked around and found I was in the back of the house, next to the square of bushes and the fountain that I could see from the window above. I was drawn to the water, as I always was, and I walked over to where it was. The path leading up to the fountain contained rows of shrubbery and rose bushes. I ran my hand along the thick bush that surrounded the inner circle. They were lush and were a good balance of soft and rough at the same time. I turned and got a good look at the fountain. It was of a man, bent and twisted at an almost unnatural angle. Various point on his hands and around the base of his feet were spraying water. I closed my eyes and focused on the sound of the water hitting the bottom basin.

I heard a noise then, and it took me a moment for my brain to recognize what it was. I ducked down, peeking over the high edge of the bush to see what was going on. The door that I had just come out of slammed, and I could hear the noise of the heavy clanking of heels running from the house. As if it was the same scene from the dream, I could see her bright red hair flying behind her as she ran. A few seconds later I saw a small sports car round the bend and squeal off into the night. It was so close to the very same nightmare I had the other day, it was like my subconscious was trying to tell me something.

Being stuck out here, not sure of what to do had me thinking through my options. I looked around, no one was out here to see anything. It might be nothing, it was likely it was nothing, but I shivered when I thought of the dream. Something, some part of me deep down knew what to do, consequences be damned.

I ran to the front of the house, needing to know exactly where I was going to go. I could see the same two guards at the front of the house as I had seen before when they checked me in.

"Hey!" I called out to them as I rounded the corner. "What the fastest way to get upstairs to the private party?" He looked to my getup and then to my face, and I was assuming he remembered me from before. Even if I looked like I was a crazy person at the moment.

"Straight back the first staircase on the right. Take it up one floor and go left, the music should guide you there."

"Thanks, but I need you to get everyone else out of the main ballroom. Absolutely everyone, no exceptions. Get them as far out of this house as you can," I yelled back as I continued to run though the house. I was hoping they took me seriously, but I had to focus on my new friends and Eli.

I followed the directions to a tee, noticing the entrance that we used to get into the side room. I flung the doors open, and found a dumbstruck Joy and Leighanne in there. They were staring at me and my obvious frantic state.

"Get out now Joy. Leighanne, come with me and get the rest of the girls out of that room. I don't have time to explain but you need to get them out of here. I'll get to Eli, he should know what to do from then on," I said. They were still staring at me, mouths open. I think they were waiting for my joke.

"I'm not kidding, I had a dream, and this lady was in it. She was here tonight, and she ran out just like before," I said brokenly between breaths. Joy looked at me with pity in her eyes, damn it!

"I'm not crazy, please. Just get out of here, get out of range of the house." I left the room and went to go into the private room. A hand stopped my progression.

"The guards called up and told me what you said to them, honey I think it's just a delusion. It's just a coincidence, nothing bad is happening," Joy said to me, a small hint of sympathy and sadness was in her voice. I hated her for it.

"Hannah, just listen to me. This is very heavily guarded complex. No one is going to be getting in here that is trying to do Eli wrong. They have constant patrols and checkpoints. They would be out of their minds to try something like that here," Leighanne said, leading me over to the couch to sit down.

"Just take a break, it's been a long night. That and all those pills can't be helping matters," she said to herself as she walked over and grabbed a bottle of water out of the cart. I sat there and came down from the adrenaline rush I had before. I couldn't believe it, I must be really close to the end to have been this irrational about a damn dream of all things. The guards told Joy they didn't see any redhead or any small sports car leaving the premises. I really was losing it.

I sat there in a sort of daze for the next hour. The party was still raging, or at least I thought it was raging from the sounds that would come out of the doorway each time someone came in and out. I just kept staring at the floor at my feet, as if it held all the answers I was looking for. I still couldn't shake that slimy feeling I had earlier, and it confused me even more. They were probably right about me, I would be lucky if I made it the next six months.

Joy appeared in my field of vision, and I looked up from my thoughts to see her bend down in front of me.

"I called you a cab, they are out front waiting for you. You need to go home and rest. This blasted party is going to go on for a while longer. I put your money in an envelope in the front of the duffel, you call me if you run into trouble on the way home okay?" I could only nod at her comment.

She helped me to my feet and handed me my bag, I slipped my heels off much before now and I held them in my hand as we walked out the door and into the hallway. I was halfway down when I head Eli coming up behind us saying my name. Joy told me to stay where I was and went to talk to him. I couldn't hear what she said to him, and I couldn't bring myself to turn and see what his reaction was. I felt a presence at my side, and was disappointed when I realized it was Joy.

"Come on now," she said to me. "Let's get you home."

"What did you tell him about me?" I asked her, it was an irrational need to know.

"I told him you weren't feeling well. That you were on some serious medication that made you go off sometimes, don't worry he seemed more concerned for you than anything." She kept me walking forward, and if I reached out far enough I could feel his eyes follow me down the hallway.

Joy helped me into the cab, looking at me as she made sure I gave the cabbie the right address to the dance studio.

"I'm fine now Joy, go back in and take care of the girls okay?" She nodded and shut the door closed to the car. It pulled away from the curb and I felt a moment of complete despair sweep over me.

I thought about returning home, to the place I wasn't supposed to go back to. Maybe I could just return in the morning and plead for Eli to listen to me. He and I had connected tonight, maybe I could just lay it out there for him. Give him the straight truth and see what he would do. It was the best I was going to get out of this whole mess.

I looked up and realized we were almost to the end of the private drive, just about to turn onto the main road, when I heard the first of three deep rumbles shake the ground.

"What was that?" I asked the cab driver.

"It sounded like...explosions," he said to me warily. It was almost too fantastical to even realize, how often did the everyday person hear something like that? We both turned our heads to look backwards. We were too far away to be able to tell what was happening. I remembered the part of my dream about the fire, and my heart went into my throat.

"Turn the car around!" I yelled at him suddenly. He shook his head, trying to fumble with the gear shift to get a move on.

"Turn the car around right now!" I screamed at him as I reached for my cell phone, the damn thing was taking way too long to start up.

"I'm not going anywhere near that house, sorry lady," he said as he started to pull the car away. I looked at him and yelled for him to stop the car and let me out. At least he stopped, and I didn't hesitate to start running as I got free.

I saw my screen light up and I started to dial 911 but then stopped. I didn't know who else to call, we had our own emergency crew we called in for things like this but I had no clue about them. If what happened back there was what it sounded like I couldn't call anyone in, how would I explain to the EMT's that all those burns he saw were now mysteriously gone?

I thankfully still had my bag, it was slapping against my back and I threw it into a nearby cluster of bushes when I realized I didn't need it now, I could come back for it later. My shoes went the way of the bag, and I could feel my speed pick up. The paved drive was cutting up my feet as I ran, it had to be a least a half of a mile from where we were to the main house. I could feel little pieces of debris getting lodged and tearing up the soles of my feet. When I got within sight of the main house, I almost stopped dead in my tracks.

The entire lower floor was billowing out heavy smoke, and I could see the flames starting to lick the windows. I didn't know who was left behind, or if someone else was waiting to strike on them. If it were my father attacking, he would do the explosion and smoke people out only to have them slaughtered on the lawn. I realized paying attention to his battle tactics was actually paying off.

I slunk around the side, running in between the trees to give me some cover. I was still in a sparkly purple dress and I doubted that I would blend in to well, but it made me feel better concealed to be near them. When I got closer, I noticed that the two guards out front from before were still there. They were keeping a good distance on the front of the house, and talking with each other about something.

Well that made sense, I'm guessing they were in on this whole plot considering they weren't rushing in to help. They must have called up to tell Joy I was out of my mind. I should have gone in the back, I should have paid more attention inside from the beginning. Why didn't I just go right in and talk to Eli, not that I think it would have made much of a difference. He still might have thought I was crazy.

I paced back and forth behind several large trees, trying to think of what to do. I couldn't get around the guards out front, and unless they moved I wouldn't be able to sneak around the back. Were there more guards back there? For all I knew there was a whole contingency back there ready to pick me off.

A minute or two had passed and I was starting to really panic now. I didn't know how much time they still had. I didn't see anyone coming out. Why weren't they running out of the rooms, running onto the lawn? It hit me then, they must have locked them in. This was too much like my dream, this couldn't be happening right now. What they fuck was I supposed to do?

The two guards out front jumped when one of the windows out front exploded and flames crept up the side of the house on the far side. They looked at each other and nodded, my guess was deciding that it was safe to leave the house and its occupants to their fate. I saw them run around the building, and I held my breath for a full minute until I saw a black truck skid out and race down the drive.

This was the best chance I was going to get and I wasn't sure I would still have the guts to go in if I waited any longer. I ran to the front door, and kicked the door until it opened, which was easier said than done. I was hoping that the fire hadn't spread to that part of the house yet and I could get upstairs.

I shrank back from the smoke but noticed it was still fairly stable in the main entryway. I tried to follow the exact directions the guard had given me earlier, but everything was covered in a cloud of smoke so it made my ascent tricky. I was forced to go much, much, slower than I wanted, but I managed to finally make my way up a level to the hallway where the party was going. There was no music now, but I could still find my way by listening to the shouts of the people locked in that room. I ran as quickly as I could over to the opening of the main door, noticing the large metal chain, and bar, that someone had run through the handles. I reached out to touch the metal and noticed that it was searing hot. There must be flames in that room, hot enough to heat up the metal out here. I looked around for a fire extinguisher or an axe, like from my dream but I found none. Even with the axe there was no way I was going to be able to break down the door, not with those chains I had no clue how to get them out, the vamps might survive for a little while but Joy and Leighanne and the girls, they didn't stand a chance unless I got to them soon.

I got an idea and quickly ran over to the door that led to their private room off the main one, it was around the corner and unless someone knew what was behind it I doubted anyone paid attention to it. It wasn't locked except for what look like the standard for all the rooms. I kicked and kicked the door, for what seemed like an eternity when the doors came flying open. There was no one in this room, but I could hear the yelling that was beginning to turn to screams coming from the entrance to the main one. They had locked the inside door with the same chain as the outside one, and the same metal bar as the one before, just in a smaller version. I searched the room again, there was nothing in there that was going to help me, all I could see were the mountainous pile of bags that we brought with us. The small room was filling up with smoke, and I coughed as I made my way over to them. I searched for Joy's bag, hoping against hope that she had something in her purse to help me. There, like a silvery dream, was a gun.

My father had guns, my father loved guns, but the twins were the ones that insisted I learn to shoot them. Growing up the only human in wolf community required me to know how to protect myself.

I pulled it out and checked the magazine, turned off the safety and strode over to the doors. I aimed for the handles of the door and the link in the chains that was closest to it. I spent round after round of the magazine into the same spot, and I noticed that the noise level in the next room dropped. I didn't want to panic them any more than they were already.

"It's Hannah, I'm trying to get you out, hang on!" I screamed and coughed out.

"Get the hell out right now!" I head Eli scream back at me.

"I can't Eli, I'm almost there!" I told him as I changed out the magazine and spent another round of bullets at the link. I heard a glorious click as the chain slid free of the next link. Then I realized that I still had to get rid of the metal bar. I could hear the shouts pick up from the room and I just acted. I reached behind me and grabbed one of the thick toweled robes off the rack and wrapped the belt of his around my hand as best I could. I started to push the end of the big bar, putting every ounce of weight into it from one end. The metal was as hot I could still feel it though the material but I was too afraid if I stopped then I wouldn't be able to start again. I screamed something scary and feral, but I got the metal through the bars as I coughed and dropped down to the floor on my knees cradling my hands against my thighs.

Chapter 13

In the next moment, I heard the doors fly open. I looked up and saw pure fury on Eli's face as he took me in. Evan had Luci with him, and I could see Leighanne and Joy coming in through the doors as well. I craned my neck and saw the other two coming through right behind, looking visibly shaken but otherwise unharmed.

Eli looked down to me and then he noticed my feet. He bent down and scooped me up, cursing something in an unknown language.

"You have to get them out downstairs, the fire looked worse there," I told him, he held my eyes a moment and then turned to talk.

"Peter!" Eli bellowed over the cries of the forty or so people that were streaming out of the doors with us. "Get to the others downstairs, take whoever is able to help with you. Tear the damn walls down if you have to," he told them and I saw a group of at least ten go off in search of the others.

"Is there a way that is still clear?" Eli asked me as he led the rest of us out at a quick pace through the doors.

"When I came in, the front door was a little clear, but I just barely got through when I got in. I don't think it will still be that way," I told him, he tucked me tighter to his chest as we stopped still at the hallway that he was intending to go down. It was completely engulfed in flames. He turned and yelled to Evan something, and I realized it sounded like Spanish but not quite. They continued to argue a bit, presumably about what to do, then we took off.

The heat and smoke was starting to get to me, and I coughed violently into his chest. His pace picked up as he went towards the opposite direction. He rounded the corner and it looked a bit clearer, but not by much.

"Did you see the back?" he asked me. I shook my head.

"No," I wheezed out, "there was more damage to the front...the back is the best option." He yelled something again at Evan and then went down the hallway. He bent down and now he was walking as close to the ground as he could. I started coughing again and I recognized I wasn't getting enough oxygen in. He must have sensed my struggle too because he was just about flat our running now. I closed my eyes and buried my face in his chest.

"Hold on anjinho," he told me and I heard his footsteps on the stairs. I felt him stop, and I tried not to freak out about what it meant.

"Evan, a little help with the door," I head him yell out. I felt Evan pass us and after a tense second later I was gasping in the fresh air. We walked a good distance to the house and I looked over Eli's shoulder to see the Joy and her crew were all fussing over one another. They all looked to me and I saw the remorse written all over Joy and Leighanne's faces. I tried to give them a reassuring smile, I didn't blame them for acting the way they did. I wouldn't have taken me seriously in their position either. Thinking about that I was reminded of the situation with the guards.

"Have someone do...a perimeter check, the two guards...out front knew what was happening," I wheezed out as we walked into the courtyard. I didn't come all this way to be picked off by some sniper out here. He stared at me, but I held his stare. His jaw hardened and I knew he believed me.

"Evan," he bellowed out to his brother, he then continued speaking to him in what I now could tell was Portuguese. Even though I suspected most of the words were angry curses, it was a beautiful language. I saw Evan's face turn murderous at what Eli told him, and then he ran off quickly.

Eli turned again when I noticed that someone had luckily freed the main ballroom. Vampires were streaming out from another back entrance, looking like they were in worse shape than we were. They kept coming and coming, I wondered how many were down there. We were so isolated upstairs it was hard to remember that there was another party going on.

"Did you call 911?" he asked me.

"No time," I told him. My throat hurt just to breathe, and talking was torture at the moment. "I had to get to you...I tried to tell them..." I couldn't finish the rest as another coughing fit took over.

"I know you did, Joy filled me in," Eli said to me through gritted teeth as he sat on the edge of the fountain, placing me gently into his lap. A few guards approached him and he waved them off as he barked out a command to them. They didn't look to comfortable leaving him there with me but they obeyed orders and stepped back.

He dipped his hand into the water and then gently placed my feet in them. I winced when the cool water touched my scrapes. He kept washing them and we sat there in peaceful silence, only partially interrupted by some more coughing from me.

"Let me see your hands," he asked me softly when he was done with my feet. I held them out to him and I was relieved to notice they weren't too badly burned. There were spots at the tips of my fingers, as well as on the sides of my palm that were red and angry looking. A couple of blisters here and there, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting. He gently reached into the water and ran his hands lightly over the worst parts, and I melted into his lap at his touch. He was so soft with me now, he didn't rush it, didn't pry me with questions. He kept working with my hands and I rested my head in the crook of his neck.

I heard some heavy footsteps as some more guards, some obviously coming from inside and some that look like they had just been awoken, with Evan trailing close behind. In a surprising move, Eli turned his body and sat up straighter but didn't make a move to let me go.

"No sign of anyone else Eli, the rest of the guard have secured the property."

"Did you call Omar?" Eli asked. Evan nodded his head and then turned his stare on me.

"Hannah, care to fill us all in on what the hell is going on?" He was smiling at me and going for reassuring, but I could sense a little suspicion and accusation in his voice.

"You need to mind your voice, brother," Eli said calmly. I didn't sound threatening but I had a feeling he meant otherwise. I saw Evan's eyes bulge at his comment.

"She comes in here new, covered in scars I might add, then claims to have seen something that looked like a dream she had only to be escorted out of the premises moments after someone attempts to blow us the fuck up and burn us alive!" he yelled at us. I flinched, it sounded very unfavorable to me when he put it like that.

Eli opened his mouth and took a deep breath in, I was guessing to rip his brother a new one. I wanted to diffuse the situation so I cupped his jaw to get him to stop, turning his head towards me.

"It's okay, it sounds bad and you all were just attacked. I don't take offense," I told him. If looks could kill, the one he was giving Evan would have caused him to spontaneously combust.

"Let me explain, it might help you figure things out." None made a move to stop me so I continued.

"I had a dream, it was intense but it was dream like any other. Earlier upstairs I saw what looked like the woman from my dream, though she wasn't doing anything wrong or suspicious so I didn't think anything of it."

"Which woman?" Evan asked me.

"I didn't catch her name, gold dress, red hair, drank champagne the whole time she was up there." I didn't get a reaction from anyone with the description but both brothers shared a look.

"Later, I went outside to get some fresh air and I saw the same woman running out of the back of the house, it was the almost an exact replica from my dream and that's when I knew something wasn't right. She got in her car and flew down the road. It was a little black sports car. I can't explain it from there other than to say I knew something was wrong, it was instinct more than logic. So I tried to alert the front guards. I went upstairs and told Joy, but they had already called up to tell them I was acting crazy and rambling. They denied ever seeing the car, denied everything I reported. She thought I just needed to rest and go home, that I had overworked myself."

"She said you are on medication, how can I trust the word of someone that needs to be heavily medicated?" Evan asked me, interrupting my story. I could actually feel Eli tense under me.

I thought it was because of what his brother said but in the next instant I heard a woman scream out, "Eli?! Elijah, where are you?"

It was my turn to tense up, I knew it was Marcy. I had no way of knowing it was her, it was just another gut feeling. One look at her running up the path towards us and I could tell I was right. I even remembered her face from the one time she came to my house. I should have been worried that I recognized her, but she was so snobby I don't think she ever actually looked at me in the time she spent at my home.

"Here comes your fiancé," Evan spit out. I wasn't sure if it was a dig at her or a dig at me. Either way I could tell it was misdirected, his vampire was probably chomping at the bit to be released. Vampires took their personal security extremely seriously, and since I was betting Evan was the head of said security, I was guessing he was about at his limit. I would have been suspicious of me too.

"You can put me down Eli, I'm fine now," I said, not wanting to make a scene here for him having me in his lap. He looked at me and I put a hand on his chest, "I don't want to upset your wife, I'm sure she must be worried about you." He smiled at me like I had just made a joke. He looked from me to Marcy, and there must have been something in her face that told him what to do.

He gently stood, with me remaining in his arms. "Later," he told me on a whisper, placing the barest of kisses at the base of my ear, as he held me out to the biggest vampire of the bunch. He was perhaps the biggest one I had ever seen. I remembered him from upstairs, his name was Peter and he was the one Eli had asked to go and rescue the others.

"Please you can put me down, my feet don't feel so bad now," I told him. In reality I didn't want to put one foot down they ached so bad, but I also didn't want someone to hold me all night like some damn doll.

"You will do no such thing," Eli said to Peter, and he nodded back.

"Who is that?" I heard Marcy ask Eli as he reached where she was standing.

"She is the reason we are all out here, instead of burning alive in there," he said casually as he pointed to the building. He was now taking off his bow tie and his cufflinks, which looked like they had diamonds encrusted in them. He held them out and another guard took them for him. He ran a hand through his hair, and I could see the reality of what just happened were catching up with him.

"Thanks," I said to Peter. I didn't know what to say to him, it was kind of an intimate position to be in and I wasn't going to pretend he wasn't there.

"It's no problem Hannah," he said softly back to me while continuing to scan the surroundings. He seemed very kind, for a vampire so large.

I could hear Evan, Eli, and Marcy talking, but they were speaking in a tone too low for me to hear. Evan broke away from the group and approached me.

"How sure are you about your description of the woman?" he asked me, turning his head to the side like he was studying me.

"Without a doubt," I told him confidently. He cursed again and closed his eyes for a moment.

"In the dream there was a man with her, but I didn't see him in the room," I added as I remembered that part. There was too much that was dead on for him not to mean something. I wanted to help them, and I wasn't exactly sure why but I was in the middle of this now.

"Describe him," he demanded letting his eyes flash red for far too long to be considered appropriate around a human.

"Tall, almost as tall as Peter here. Dark black hair that looked violet in the light, it was a bit long almost sweeping his collar. I didn't get a shot of his face but he had a very nice tux on. The redhead and he where running away in my dream," I said. I could see Evan was struggling, his eyes were still red and he was a hairsbreadth away from losing it. Whatever that news meant it wasn't a good thing.

"What happened at the end of the dream?" Eli asked suddenly. I jumped in Peter's arms, I didn't even see him move over to where we were standing.

"I passed out in a sea of my own blood," I told him grimly. He let out another stream of curses and then grabbed Marcy and strode off.

Everyone was mulling around, talking and sharing concerned yet skeptical glances in my direction. The girls, with Joy and Leighanne in tow, came running over to me when they noticed that Eli wasn't hovering over me any longer. They fussed over me a bit, checking my hands and feet and offering soothing words to me. Then came the gratitude's for saving them, followed quickly by the apologies.

"Oh Hannah, I'm so sorry," Joy said with uncharacteristic sincerity.

"I wouldn't have listened to me either, don't worry about it," I told her back. I noticed they were all changed into different clothes and I was instantly jealous that I was still stuck in this dress.

"I grabbed some stuff for you," Leighanne said placing a suitcase at our feet. "We usually stash some stuff in the Van, I don't know what upstairs looks like but I don't think we will be getting any of that stuff back." We all grimaced at the thought of all that stuff burnt to ashes in the house.

"I can't imagine anything sounding better than having clean clothes on, thanks," I told them all.

"Most of the clothes in there are mine," Luci said, she looked like she had been crying. "We decided that I was closest to your size, but I have to admit most of my down clothes are still a bit, um..." she trailed off. I was betting she was searching for the right adjective.

"Slutty," Joy added in with a smirk. I laughed, a kind of tired laugh but it felt good.

"I put in there some other provisions, I have a feeling you might be here for a little while. Eli and Evan just dismissed us, but you call me if you need anything," Leighanne told me.

"I'm not going with you?" I asked them, feeling both hopeful and unsure of what that meant.

"Evan said he's keeping you here to keep an eye on you," Luci said smiling. She thought Evan was being careful with me, I didn't want to be the one to tell her he was suspicious of me.

After that everyone came and gave me awkward hugs, I was still being held by Peter and they had to get around him. To his credit he didn't flinch or move a muscle. Joy was the last one to come up and she hugged me with a bit more enthusiasm than I was expecting.

"There is everything you need in the bag," she told me holding my stare. I had no idea what she was talking about but something told me there might be some surprises in it. I nodded at her and watched them all walk away, feeling a bit more alone than I found comfortable. Outside of the ones I suspected they kept here for feedings, I was likely the only human among them.

After that whole scene, I eventually convinced Peter to let me down. I was currently lying next to the big man on one of the stone benches near the fountain, head in his lap. I was so damn tired I couldn't argue with him when he made me lay like this, and I also couldn't keep my eyes open any more. That combined with the sound of fountain lulled me to sleep. I had expected to have another dream like the one before, but my mind stayed focused on Eli and his face was the only one I saw when I closed my eyes.

I woke up not much later, it was still dark out. I wondered what was going to happen when the sun came up. I sat up, Peter held my elbow to help me. Looking around to the area, I noticed that many had already headed home. I could see a few select members of the fire department were busy trying to contain the fire. Vampires, just like shifters, had allies and friends everywhere in society quietly living their lives and helping out when they were needed by the local clans or seethes. Some are simply human, some are other supernaturals, and some are shifters and vamps that chose to try to live amongst the general population.

One of the firefighters noticed I was awake and came over to where I was sitting, I couldn't help wondering what, if anything, he was.

"I didn't want to wake you before but I need to check you out okay?" he asked me as he knelt down next to the bench with his bag. Here we go again.

He went through the usual checks, blood pressure, heart rate, pupil tests. He didn't say anything to me so I assumed they were all normal. As he was putting some bandages on my feet and hands, out came the questions.

"Are you on any medications? Any medical conditions I need to know about?" he asked as he reached into his bag, most likely for pain medicine. It hit me then that my bag of fun was still in a bush somewhere near the entrance.

"I don't need..." was all I got out before Evan came stomping up to throw my bag down at my feet. It looked like it was still zipped but I had a feeling he went through it. It was what I would do if I were him.

"She on a whole lot, I wouldn't give her anything else Jake. Hannah has a whole pharmacy here," Evan said to the firefighter. He looked from him to me, confusion obvious on his face. I had to fight the feeling of passing out, I couldn't let this come out now, like this.

"He's right I don't need anything else, I have some hip problems so I have some pain killers already. Thanks though," I told him trying to place a cheery smile on my face. Jake apparently didn't find my privacy worth a dime as he zipped open my bag. He went through a couple of bottles and the closed the bag to stare at me. The pity in his eyes, which was so easy to spot on someone now, told me he knew what was going on. I shook my head at him, my eyes pleading with him that he wouldn't say anything. In a strict medical sense he couldn't tell anyone a thing, but I didn't know whose rules held the bigger sway with Jake when he was on Drake property.

"Evan, I suggest you leave the pills alone, they all look legit," Jake said as he rose to stand.

"Thanks for the tip," he said in a clipped tone but his face looked a bit more relaxed.

"The fire will be contained by morning, feel free to return home. I'll invoice you and give you some good contractor references," Jake said as he turned and left.

I could just about see the first signs of morning coming up from the tree line. The sky was just a shade lighter in that area, it was already turning a pretty violet color. I still felt dizzy, mainly from lack of food, coming down from the adrenaline, and the need for me to med up.

"If someone could just call me a cab I would really appreciate it," I said looking up at Evan. He was staring at me again.

"Eli has instructed me to escort you back to my house. You will stay the day there and when everyone is rested later we will discuss what to do next," he told me in a tone that made me think he didn't agree to that particular plan. My heart skipped a beat, and I had the thought that after everything, maybe, just maybe, I could pull this off.

Chapter 14

I insisted on walking, which in retrospect was a horribly stubborn idea, because now my feet were killing me. Evan needed Peter to go and help secure the house, and with the fast approaching dawn I knew that we had to make a move on it if we wanted to make it in time. Peter gave the slightest pause when I asked him nicely just to let me down on the ground, and seemed only satisfied when Evan held his arm out for me to steady myself.

"Is this your bag?" he asked me with a look of horror on his face. The suitcase was leopard print, with pink accents. I had to really fight to laugh at the image of him rolling it down the road to his house.

"Luci lent it to me," I said hoping the mention of her would soften him up a bit. He seemed to be wound so tight since we got out of the fire.

"Ah, that makes sense, well let's get a move on," he said as he glanced up at the sky. I carried my smaller bag and he used his free hand to roll the suitcase behind him. There were fewer than twenty vampires out here now, and every last one of them had their eyes glued to us and we walked past them down the walkway and past the now charred house. I noticed with some disappointment that I hadn't seen Eli anywhere.

We passed the house and I noticed a side parking lot. I was beyond glad that I wouldn't have to walk the rest of the way there. I heard the car beep before I saw it and smiled. It was a vintage car, it was a large bodied and long convertible with a deep blue color. I loved old cars, though I admittedly knew next to nothing about them. This car had style though, and that went a long way in my book. He placed the bags in the back seat, and then opened my door for me. The seats on the inside were a light crème leather interior and I was guessing the original model never came with it.

"My house is about a few miles from the main house, right next to Eli's," he said to me as we turned to go down an adjacent street. I wondered why the hell they bothered to have a main house if no one lived there.

Looking out, I was impressed by both the size of the houses but also at the spacing. They had plenty of land between each house and it made the houses themselves look bigger, almost grander when they were placed like that. It was much more spacious than back where I came from, but wolves needed closer interaction with clan members so their properties were smaller in comparison. They were so social and it was preferred to be close to one another.

"It's a beautiful car," I told him as I rested my head against the back of the seat. I closed my eyes as the warm air hit my face. I never saw the desire some people had for convertibles but one ride and I could easily see the appeal. It felt freeing.

"She's Eli's, I am shocked he let me take her out," he said to me chuckling.

"How did they get home then?" I asked him.

"He took his bike. He usually keeps it at the main house," he said to me. Of course he had a motorcycle. Because he wasn't hot enough.

"You're more the giant truck kind of guy huh?" I asked guessing. He didn't seem like he fit this car, he was too much of a muscle man for it.

"You a mind reader as well?" he asked with a smirk.

"Just good at reading people," I said back shrugging. We drove the rest of the way in there in silence. I was left wondering who Eli, and by extension, Evan really were. So far, there had been nothing in their behavior that matched up with all the things I had heard about how the Drake vampires were supposed to be like. Granted I heard said rumors from my own clan, and they weren't big fans of this seethe. I could feel a headache coming on and I needed this day to be over.

"Here we are," he said as we pulled up the drive. It was long and curved around towards the back of the house. As we got closer I noticed that it curved behind the main part of the house, leading to a large paved patio that then led to a three car garage. He came around and opened my door, and then reached back to grab my suitcase. I grabbed my own bag and we headed towards a side door near the first set of garage doors. It was then I caught a glimpse of the backyard and squealed like a child when I saw the pool. I was so tired I couldn't even temper my reaction.

"I take it you like to swim?" he asked me fighting a smile.

"I love it," I told him honestly. I took another look at the pool and realized it was so lit up someone could land a plane in his backyard. Of course the vamps wouldn't be able to use the pool during the day, so if they wanted to enjoy it at night it would have to be well lit. There was nothing like an evening swim, and I was curious to see if I could sneak in there later. It would feel great on my leg and shoulder.

I heard several beeps, and noticed the plethora of keypads and deadlocks on the door. They didn't fuck around here with security, being vulnerable during the day would make me cautious too. He stepped into the door and I followed, but I became instantly yet gently held back.

"You're not staying in here," he told me like I was an idiot. "My brother may want to keep you here, despite several warnings from me, but I don't trust you. This whole thing doesn't feel right to me. Until I feel differently, you will be here," he said to me, giving me more of the gruff Evan. "It's more of a glorified pool house which I guess by your reaction will suit you just fine."

He pulled out a set of keys, which I was surmising was the reason for him to go into his house. I heard him shut his door and he swept past me to the entrance to the backyard. Evan opened the small metal gate and ushered me with a hand inside.

The pool was huge, possibly Olympic sized with a smoothly paved edge with chairs and loungers all around it. It indeed have a large pool house at the south end of it. To call it a pool house would be a gross disservice to the building. It had to have a larger square footage than my apartment did, even though it was done in a ranch style I could tell it was spacious. I could see from here it had large almost floor to ceiling windows, with large drapes hanging to help with privacy.

He turned the key in the lock and we stepped inside as he searched for the light switch. This was no mere pool house, I admitted to myself as I took in the small kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom as Evan took me on a small tour. It had too many amenities for it to be anything other than a house for his humans.

I had heard that some vampires kept their blood donors on their personal property for longer than the occasional feedings, but it was another thing to see it in person. I felt a shudder run through me, from either revulsion or fear I couldn't tell. I think my human brain was having a hard time being in what was essentially the cage of a predator.

"This is the bedroom," he said as he put down my suitcase. I put my bag beside it and got a good look around. Evan must really like his humans to put them up here. It was a large room, almost as big as the living room. I had a huge bed with floor to ceiling drapes that ran along the sides and the front of the bed. The comforter was huge and baby blue paisley pattern, with fluffy pillows everywhere. It looked like heaven to me at the moment.

"The closet is stocked with clothes, some are leftovers people leave here, feel free to use what you want," he told me. He and I both knew they wouldn't be returning for them.

"Thank you Evan," I said to him and he thankfully took that as his cue to leave.

Just as he turned around when I walked two steps to grab his arm to turn and hug him. I didn't think much about it, my brain felt like a slushy at the moment and with wolves they were always very affectionate. It was a reflex for me to express my thanks with one. I got close to him and he moved so fast I couldn't tell you how I ended up against the wall. He had a forearm pressed to my neck and he was breathing hard as he looked into my face.

"What the hell?" he asked me. He must have thought I was going to attack him. I was having a hard time getting air in, and even though I understood he was holding back I knew I was going to have one hell of a bruise there come morning. He wasn't letting up and I looked into his eyes, which were now blazing red at me. I was betting he saw the way my eyes grew wide when I looked into his.

He dropped me to the ground, and I had to brace myself on my hands and knees as I gasped for air. I felt the tears welling in my eyes as the pressure on my neck was gone, I think at some point they turned into tears. For what exactly I didn't know, but this had been a very long day and I was at my limit.

I managed to squeak out what sounded like the word hug, and I saw his face drop a little as he realized I wasn't trying to slit this throat. He still didn't look like he was sorry, but the hostility wasn't there anymore. I was going to take that as a small victory, he could have killed me on the spot if he really thought I was trying to hurt him. He gave me one last look and left, and a few seconds later I heard the front door slam closed.

I took a deep breath in to steady myself, and then I realized two important things. One, no matter how I got here, I accomplished something I thought was going to be impossible. Two, if I was around Evan when and if he ever found out who I was, he was going to kill me.

I peeled myself off the floor, knowing I needed to get a few more things done before succumbing to sleep. I walked over to the suitcase and spread it onto the bed, flipping the lid back to look at what they had packed for me. I found what looked like a nightgown, which looked a whole lot more like lingerie than sleepwear. It looked short, even for me, with a deep v cut into the front that was then covered in a light black lace. I looked at my current outfit and decided anything would be an improvement over the tattered and torn dress that was currently hanging off me.

I could help but peruse the rest of the collection, and found that Luci wasn't wrong when she described her style. There were several pairs of cut off shorts and tiny shirts. I did notice some makeup and mercifully a pair of flip flops were stashed in there as well. Outside of a few more 'nightgowns', as well as plethora of undergarments, that was about the extent of the contents.

Something made me remember what Joy had said, about the suitcase, and I went about checking the pockets. I made my way around the front and outside, finding nothing out of the way there. I noticed a small compartment in the bottom, and I reached in feeling something cold and hard under my fingertips. I pulled it out, even though I knew what it was, and found a gun. It was a 9mm to be exact. It was identical to the one I had found in her purse. I checked the safety and placed it gently back where I found it. I hoped to god I never had to use it.

I grabbed my stuff and got changed in the bathroom, finding it so well stocked I could actually wash off my makeup and brush my teeth. I laid out my prescriptions and did my usual routine. It took me twice as long as normal because I kept having to adjust doses and make notes for how to take them the following day. I packed up my stuff and headed back into the bedroom, and that was where I found Eli.

His tall frame was splayed out on a high backed chair in the corner of the room. I silently cursed Luci and her bag of lingerie, I would have loved to be standing here in something that covered me a bit more. He still had on his white dress shirt, it was filthy and yet it still managed to look expensive. I must have looked like a deer in the headlights, I was just standing there and staring at him. He was not simply handsome, he wasn't even pretty, he was something else altogether. In the back of my head I knew I should be scared, I should be wondering how he got in here and what he wanted from me. But instead, I just kept drinking him in, like he I was starving and he was cake.

The room was dark, they had strategically left windows out of the design in this part of the house, and it left the small lamp struggling to provide adequate light. If I had any questions as to what the purpose of this room was before, I didn't now.

"Hannah," he said sitting up in his chair a bit and when he caught sight of what I was wearing his body stilled. I bent and placed my bag on the floor as discreetly as I could and laid my pathetic looking dress on top.

"Eli," I said back glancing nervously around the room. There wasn't anywhere else to sit, so I moved and sat down on the edge of the bed facing him. There was a small side table with a stack of magazines and a lamp next to him, and he pulled the string under it. It had a pleasant soft glow to it, and it warmed up the space in conjunction with the other one.

"Thank you, for tonight," he said to me. It came out a bit awkward sounding, almost like he didn't have much practice saying that to others.

"I'm glad I made it back in time. Until I found that beautiful gun I wasn't sure I was going to be able to get you out," I told him honestly.

"You should never have gone back in for us, it was foolhardy," he told me in a chastising tone.

"Foolhardy? Who uses words like that?" I blurted out with a roll of my eyes. I couldn't help it, I was too tired to censor even a little.

"I do," he said tersely but I could tell he was fighting a grin.

"I was a great party," I said like an idiot. Great party, until someone set off some bombs and tried to burn everyone alive.

"It was...memorable," he said back, holding my gaze for a bit longer than was considered comfortable. There was a couple of seconds of silence, and I wasn't sure what to say now. Here was my golden opportunity to get to know him, get into his world, and I was just sitting here like an idiot.

"Well, I should get back," he said still looking at his shoes.

"To Marcy?" I asked boldly. I wanted to test the waters with him and her. If he was committed to her, I didn't want to be wasting time here.

"Marcy..." he said without finishing this thought. It wasn't enough to gleam how he felt about her, but he wasn't singing her praises either.

"Forget it, you don't have to explain yourself to me Elijah," I said to him feeling a bit bashful at calling him out like that.

"I just wanted to make sure Evan got you settled in, he can be a bit rough around the edges but you have to cut him some slack. Tonight really rattled him," he said as he stood up from his chair. I rose too, like a southern gentleman on a date. He was going to think I am out of my mind if I keep doing stupid things around him.

He looked at me and then his eyes dropped to my neck. I thought for a second he was looking at my vein, and sudden pool of desire at the thought had me feeling shocked at myself. That was, until I remembered what Evan had done to me earlier.

"What happened Hannah?" he asked in a very calm and scary tone as he stepped closer and ran a hand over my neck. He could almost wrap his entire hand around it. It felt good, in a very inappropriate way. I didn't think I was going to get away with not answering him but I gave it the old college try.

"Oh well, I did rush into a burning building to save you, so who knows?" I told him trying to go for humor. His jaw ticked again and I saw him turn and storm out of the room. I looked around nervously very unsure of what I was supposed to do from here. I heard the footsteps get softer and softer and then I heard the door slam.

I felt immensely glad I didn't have to witness that conversation. I had a feeling under this calm and cool Eli, lied a much more savage and brutal king. I turned off the light, and crawled under the covers. The thread count on these sheets had to be astronomical. However much he paid for them they were worth every penny, and soon I feel into a deep and completely dreamless sleep.

Waking up the next morning, I realized my whole body hurt. It seemed like everything from the tips of my fingers to the bottoms of my feet were either sore or burnt, or both. Kicking those doors in really did a number on my ankle too.

I looked at the clock and I almost gasped when I saw the time. It was nearly six thirty at night. I couldn't remember the last time I had slept this long. I stretched and then got up to take my meds before I got too off schedule. I set everything up and then left the bathroom, realizing that if I didn't get something to eat soon I was never going to be able to hold down all the pills I needed to take. As if on cue my stomach grumbled.

I had just stepped back into the bedroom to change when I heard the front door open again. It was a soft click this time, not the same noise as when I heard Evan and Eli coming through it. I wasn't sure who would be here to talk to me, I wasn't even sure if the vampires awoke this early. The sun had probably not even set all the way.

Something in me snapped to attention when I thought about that, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I slunk from the bed and tried not to so much as breathe as I crawled towards the door. I reached into the suitcase and grabbed the gun from the bottom compartment. As quietly as I possibly could I crawled back to the bed. As I slipped under the covers I took the gun with me, carefully keeping my finger on the safety and settling my hands into a firm grip. This gun wouldn't kill them, if they were vampires, but it would stop them long enough for me to run.

I didn't hear anything right away, but eventually I heard the footsteps heading in my direction. I wasn't sure what to do, and my brain wracked through the options I had. Just as quickly as the steps came, they retreated until I could hear another soft click as the front door snapped closed. I was starting to get a little angry now, how was it that Evan's house was like fort Knox but this little house let anyone in?

I waited for a while, but since I didn't hear anything else I carefully opened the door. The door almost got stuck, and I gently pushed it open while trying to make as little noise as possible. Once I managed that, I looked down and saw three large paper sacks. I bent down to grab one and I realized that they were all full of food. I opened the first one and found it was full of doughnuts, every kind and color. I snatched another and found it was full of plastic containers that had everything from pancakes to eggs benedict in them. I crossed my fingers as I got to the last bag. _Please be coffee, please be coffee, please be coffee._

"Coffee!" I yelled aloud like a nerd, fist pumping the air. I didn't care at the moment, I had breakfast and two full cups of delicious coffee to enjoy. I decided to be very bad and eat it in bed, thread count be damned.

Chapter 15

After I ate everything, down to the very last morsel, I ransacked the house. There wasn't anything scandalous or strange anywhere, it could be any ostentatious pool house near any outrageous pool in America. Except for this was the pool house next to the Vampire King, who I was supposed to be getting to know in order to gain his trust to get him to give me his blood. I was having a hard time realizing that when I looked at him. I still didn't know anything about Eli, I had gotten glimpses into who he was the night before, but even then he was keeping a tight lid on himself. I could tell he was holding back.

Once I was done looting and pacing around the apartment, I figured why the hell not, it was only seven thirty and I could tell by looking out the windows it wasn't sunset yet. I was going swimming. The vampires wouldn't be fully up yet so I could get a nice swim in before I had another visit. I went to the bedroom and rummaged through the suitcase again, but I didn't find anything that I could swim in. Well, I didn't find anything I felt comfortable swimming in I should say. I went next to the large closet on the other side of the bedroom, and found a full collection of the past seasons styles. Evan liked his women, and they must like him considering they didn't mind leaving their swimsuits here.

It was perhaps unfortunate for me that they were all bikinis. Every last one of them was small, sparkly, or a combination of the two. I even think Luci might blush in some of them. I picked a navy blue string bikini with polka dots, it was smaller than some of the others but didn't have ruffles, glitter, or some kind crazy pattern in it so I went with it.

I was walking out to the pool when I felt eyes on me, I did a casual glance around but I didn't see anyone watching me. I tried hard not to think about it. The sun was still sitting squat on the horizon, almost to the point where it would set but not quite. It was a nice time of night when the light was darker, Jameson used to call it nature's mood lighting.

I had me thinking about the twins, James in particular. I was hoping he wasn't worrying excessively about me, even though I knew he was too much of a control freak not to have me on his mind. I knew Grayson would be there to help keep his head up, in his brother I don't think I had ever met a more staunch optimist. I closed my eyes and tried to picture their faces again in my mind. Things went so fast yesterday I didn't have much time to think about them until now.

I laid my towel on the nearest lawn chair and started walking towards the water. I dipped a toe in a sighed at the temperature, it was perfect. With no hesitation I dove in, enjoying that brief moment when the cold snaps your body to attention and then melts into warm oblivion. I winced at the slight burns on my hands and the cuts on my feet, but it still felt good.

I swam a couple of laps at a leisurely pace and then I did some water therapy exercises I had remembered from after my leg surgery a few years back. It hurt, but in a good way. I closed my eyes as I held onto the side of the pool to move my leg in a wide circular motion under the water.

"Feel good?" I heard someone ask and I snapped my eyes open to find Eli standing by the side of the pool. My face broke out into genuine smile.

"Heaven," I told him back still smiling at him. I was just about to suggest he join me and then I saw who he had with him. Marcy and Evan were standing behind him and I audibly gasped when I saw his brother. He had a black eye, which considering how fast they heal, was saying something about whoever gave him it. It was yellowish now, even a bit green on the edges, most likely it would be gone by morning. He was looking at me, not making direct eye contact, but I thought I saw a hint of smile somewhere in his face when he saw my swimsuit.

Marcy, however, had no problems staring at me with open hostility. "I see you found Evan's lady whore stash," she said to me with a small sneer on her lips. I never did take kindly to passive aggressive comments or threats, but I knew better than to get into it with her at the moment. I placed my hands on the edge of the pool and rose out of the water, channeling my inner rap video goddess. I made no move for my towel as I met her stare, thankfully the night air was warm so standing here dripping wet didn't bother me.

I walked right over to where she was and gave Marcy a blinding smile, "I'm Hannah." I held out my hand for her to shake it but she just kept staring at me. I was enjoying this more than a grown woman should. "I'm sorry that Eli didn't get a chance to introduce us last night," I told her. If it were possible she looked even more pissed as she weakly took my hand and shook it.

"Yes well I just couldn't wait to get to Eli, I hardly noticed you there before I dragged him home. I was so worried," she said to me as she shrank into Eli's side. She was now running a hand over his stomach. Eli, for his part, looked at her with open surprise at her forwardness.

"I can imagine," I said dryly.

"Have you ever been engaged? If you haven't I don't think you can understand how worried I was for him. To be so close to being married to him, only to have that stolen from me, it would be devastating." She pouted like a child.

"I've been married, so yes I can," I told her plainly.

"Been?" she asked me, a delighted smile took over her face.

"Yes," I said while raising my chin.

"Widowed?" she asked with feigned interest. It might have come off better if she didn't have that stupid smile plastered on her face still.

"Divorced," I told her with as clear a voice as I could manage. Sometimes, just saying that word still hurt, but I wouldn't give her that satisfaction.

Just as Marcy was about to say something back he interrupted her and stepped forward out of her little hug. Smart man, I was a few seconds from throwing her in the damn pool.

"If you wouldn't mind Hannah, my council and I would like to ask you some questions," Eli said to me. I studied his face to see what he was thinking. He was too damn hard to read, I didn't know if this would be bad for me.

"Your council?" I asked back, remembering that I wasn't supposed to know about vampires. His face flushed for a second followed by his eyes, and then his mask slid back into place. I had to be careful, but truths were going to come out no matter what I did. If I could control the information then I could control the situation. It was one of my father's personal mottos.

"They are like my personal advisors," he said, covering for his slip up.

"You must be very important to have personal advisors," I said as I stepped towards him. He tried to hide it, but his eyes discreetly ran over my body, their red depths sneaking out.

"I'm just your everyday guy," he said with an exaggerated shrug, mimicking my phrase from the evening before.

"That's the first lie you've told me, let's not pretend I'm some idiot," I countered back, stepping further into this personal space.

"I'm sure you of all people understand the need for secrets," he said as he stared at the scar on my shoulder.

"Why is that I feel you earned yours in a less than gentlemanly fashion?" I asked him.

"Because you have good instincts," he said to me and I could see a little of the ruthless leader I had heard so many stories about. He looked big and formidable now, like every bit the dark king so many feared. I could feel the electricity between us and I could see the barest hints of his fangs elongate in his mouth.

"Careful your highness, your vampire is showing," I said to him softly as I walked over to the chair and grabbed my towel. I gave him a second to figure out what I was saying as I dragged a towel through my hair. I didn't know what my new haircut looked like wet and I had a sudden urge to run inside and fix it.

When I turned around, I found Eli staring a hole through where I was standing. I didn't hear him call off Marcy and Evan but they were nowhere in sight. This might be bad.

"Have you known the whole time?" he asked me through gritted teeth, I could feel the anger rolling off him. Maybe this wasn't the most solid plan after all.

"Of course," I said back as I played with the puddle of water that was at my feet.

"You went into a burning building to save a couple of strippers and two hundred vampires?" he said to me incredulously, it was more of a half yell but I didn't care.

"First of all they are dancers Elijah, and second what kind of a person would turn their backs on something like that?" I asked him throwing my arms out for emphasis.

"I can name many people who would have let that cab haul them out of there without ever looking back," he said with a sarcastic laugh.

"Vampire or stripper, I could never live with myself if I didn't go back there for them...for you," I added in, knowing it was true. He reached out and brushed a chunk of wet hair out of my face. I couldn't stop the shudder that ran through me when I thought about the fire. I could still hear them screaming if I concentrated hard enough.

"Joy said that you have some kind of issues, is that true?" he asked me as he tugged the towel around my shoulders.

"No more than you," I told him raising my chin. I was struggling a bit to figure out how much to reveal and how much to still keep hidden. Too much or too little could spell disaster for me.

"Medication?" he asked me.

"That's not really any of your business," I told him back. His eyes had stayed red this whole time, they should have grossed me out but I was oddly enthralled by them.

"I can't figure you out," he said to me as he scanned my face.

"Yeah well that makes two of us," I told him. We stayed like that for some time, both locked in some kind of trance.

"Where did your fiancé go?" I asked him as I realized we were standing far too close to be appropriate. His arms were on my shoulders and I had my hands bunched in the sides of his shirt. I didn't even remember putting them there. My plan had been to get close to him, but my body's reaction to him was natural, almost instinctive.

"I sent Marcy and Evan away," he told me not giving me much.

"Don't you get tired of ordering people to obey you?" I teased him knowing full well he did.

"Never," he to me in cold tone. Something in him changed at that moment, and all the connection I had felt with him evaporated in an instant.

"The council will meet in my house, tomorrow at midnight. You will attend and you will answer our questions," he told me plainly.

"Yes sir," I told him as I gave him a mock salute.

"I find you intriguing Hannah, if I didn't, you may be in a different position right now. Don't waste my good favor by being difficult," he told me sternly.

"If I wasn't who I am, you might be in a different position right now too," I countered and dove into the pool. When I came up, I was amused to find him still standing there.

"Care to join me Elijah?" I asked him while trying to fight the urge to splash him. What was the point of immortality if he didn't have any fun?

He bent down so that he was close to the water's edge. He put one hand in the water, skimming the tips of his fingers over the top. I didn't know what he wanted but I swam the short distance from where I was to the side of the pool right under where he was. I looked up into his eyes, mesmerized by the swirling colors that were flashing and dancing in his irises.

I pushed up on to my tip toes and got as close as I could to him, willing him with my body to make a move to take me. It couldn't tell what, if anything, I wanted him to take. I did it out of need, out of a complete irrational desire to have him. I could tell something inside him was wrestling with what to do, his carefully put upon control was faltering. I wanted him to take my mouth so badly, but I wanted him to initiate it.

I grabbed his shirt, right around his chest and locked my eyes with his as I braced my feet on the side of the pool and pulled. His body fell into the water, his frame was far too big to land that gracefully without the use of his vampire skills. By the time his feet hit the ground he moved with vampire speed and he me pinned against the side of the pool. He was wet from the waist down, with only splashes of water on his top half. Damn super reflexes, I wanted his shirt wet all the way. I was dying to know what he looked like under it.

We were so close, if I leaned in even an inch we would be touching. His fangs were out, and his eyes were completely red now, not a speck of another color to be seen in them. He looked like he was holding himself back, either from killing me or kissing me, I couldn't tell.

"Don't ever put your hands on me again," he hissed out to me, breaking what seemed like minutes of silence. In reality we were only standing in this position for seconds.

"I'll remember that Eli, but there may come a time when you wish you never asked that of me," I whispered into his ear. I felt his hands under the water grip my hips, his fingers were digging into the sides of the bikini. His left hand was playing with the strings on that side, and I was silently begging him to untie it.

I lifted that leg and moved it so that it was wrapped around his hips, shivering when his hand moved up and ran along my leg to cup my ass. I lifted my right leg and did the same, feeling his other arm repeat the same motion. He had slunk down a bit on the wall, allowing for me to climb up on his easily. He was in a chair like position with his knees bent. His hands on my lower half supported me without me needing to do a thing. His strength and height were impressive, even for a vampire. I placed my elbows on his shoulders, careful not to touch him with my hands. He noticed what I was doing and smiled something predatory, something raw and feral that set me on fire.

He kissed me then, the roughest kiss I had ever experienced. It left the taste of blood in my mouth, but it wasn't something I could have lingered on much. We were running on pure passion, an enthralling exchange of power that had me breathless. I had to pull away just to take in air, and he stared at me like he couldn't believe what he had just done. I could feel his length in his pants straining against the wet fabric. I had to stifle a gasp at the feel of him against me, he was huge. If he took this just one small step forward I was going to beg him take me right here. Pride be damned.

I heard a noise, and before it even registered with me, Eli had spun around in the water, placing my back to whoever was standing on the pool deck so he could see who it was. He moved so

"What is going on here?" I heard a woman ask. It didn't sound like Marcy, and I tensed at not knowing who was behind me. Eli felt it and gave thighs a reassuring squeeze under the water. It was ridiculous to think so, but something in me knew he wouldn't let anyone touch me.

"Ilora, I didn't think you were getting here until tomorrow." I heard him say, his deep voice was vibrating my entire body and I had to really try not to move against him. I was flush against him now, we were chest to chest with my own face right next to his. I didn't dare move from his embrace, if he put me there it was for a reason.

"I got here faster than I thought, hearing what happened last night made me move faster than I was intending. You seem put out by my arriving so soon. Why would that be Elijah, or more importantly who is she?" she asked. Her voice held an accent that was impossible to determine, it seemed too old to be from a modern language.

"As you can see I am fine Ilora, thank you for your concern. Feel free to make yourself at home in the guest bedroom," he told her ignoring her questions about me. I could feel her anger from here, it was palpable like trying to breathe through a fog. I felt him play with the skin on my leg, and it calmed me.

"Elijah, are you going to really stand there and ignore the questions of your maker?" she asked and I stopped breathing for a moment. If he was close to half a millennia old, how old was she? A vampire that age would have more power than I could ever imagine. Even Eli would have hard time stopping her.

"You forget yourself Ilora, I am King here. I can ignore who I wish, including you. Stop being dramatic and get settled in the house. I'll be in a minute," he told her with a sigh. He had a more teasing tone in his voice now and I was curious about her. I turned in his arms so that I could face her. She had long blonde hair, natural blonde hair too, I noted. Ilora was tall, almost as tall as Eli with a very long and slender frame that was outfitted in a long ice blue dress. It seemed to fit her, she looked like some long lost Norse goddess.

"I'm Hannah," I told her boldly giving her a small wave. After everything I've gone through, I wouldn't be intimidated by anyone. "Apparently Eli has no manners, but I'm the one that saved him." She smirked at Eli, and I could feel him smile back to her. I had the thought that I liked Ilora, at least for the moment.

"Ah, yes I heard about that," she said to me, I tried not to react when I saw her eyes. They were such a light blue they were almost white. "I'll give you two a moment, but I would love to have dinner with you tonight. I've been traveling since last night and I need good company."

"You need a good drink," Eli told her as they both shared a laugh.

"Yes that too, but I have missed you. I never see you anymore," she said as she started to walk away. Abruptly she turned back saying, "bring the girl Elijah." She then continued across the lawn, and then with a blur of vampire speed was gone from sight. Well, she was gone from my sight at least.

"You up for dinner?" he asked me, nipping at my ear as he spoke. I noticed with complete satisfaction that he had made no move to change our current positions. I tried not to look to crestfallen that we weren't going be able to pick up where we left off.

"Well, it's not like I have much choice. She doesn't look like the type to be denied," I told him. He smiled back at my comment.

"No, Ilora is used to getting her way. Even I can't deny her much," he said with an affectionate smile on his face.

"Then I would suppose it wouldn't be proper to keep her waiting," I said as he gripped my legs even harder. I felt Eli move again, even before I heard the footsteps.

"Ilora is here," Evan said as I saw him approach. Eli had let me go but I was still pressed up in front of him. He had one hand across my shoulders, his fingers were so close to my breast it caused my nipples to go taut. I tried not to moan, but I think he heard a small noise escape when his finger got close.

"Yes, she already said hello brother," Eli said to him. "Tell Penny that we will be hosting a small dinner tonight, eleven should do it. There will be five of us, whatever she has on hand will be fine." Evan looked confused for a moment and then his eyes went wide.

"You're going to bring Hannah?" he asked Eli, looking like he wondered if he was out of his mind.

"We can sit out on the patio," he told Evan like he didn't hear what he just asked him.

"We are not bringing her anywhere near your house Eli, I won't even let her in my own home. We can eat out here on my patio," he told his brother in a defiant tone. I knew he was just looking out for Eli, and that's why I didn't mention the fact that he was basically insulting me.

"Fine," he told him in a less than friendly tone as I felt him pull off his wet t-shirt to fling it on the side of the pool. I ignored Evan completely and turned to take in Eli. His chest was perfect, hard and sculpted with a small spattering of chest hair in all the right places. I could see the beginnings of perfect looking abs from the tops of the water, and I reached out my hand to touch the very top peaks. Just as I got to his skin, I winked at him and withdrew my hand with a twinge of honest remorse in my eyes. I heard a voice clear from the deck. Oh right, Evan was here.

"I suggest you don't do that when Marcy is around, she wants Hannah's head as it is," he said looking like the minute it crossed his lips he could take it back. I turned and arched an eyebrow at Eli. He ignored both of us and he dipped under the water and came back up. Could it be possible he looked even more attractive wet? Oh yes, of course he did. At the mention of Marcy, Eli turned away from me and swam to the side of the pool. He reached the steps and climbed out, much to my disappointment. I felt alone once again, drifting in the middle of the suddenly cold pool.

"Eleven," Eli reminded me as he dried off a bit using my towel. He nodded at Evan and then walked across the lawn to his own house. I sighed remembering how close he was to surrendering a little to me, to us taking things a bit deeper, when Evan pulled me out of my head.

"You are playing with fire Hannah," Evan said in a warning tone, probably noticing the look on my face as he walked away.

"Eli doesn't seem to be stopping me," I told him tipping my chin up.

"Eli has a weak spot for humans, always has," he said cryptically. I wasn't sure I liked the sound of that.

"I'm about as fucking human as it gets," I said bitterly, being reminded of what I wasn't. I wasn't a werewolf, I wasn't immortal, I wasn't vampire, and I wasn't going to last much longer. I could go on and on with those, and the reminders of what I wasn't were too painful to be brought back up time and time again. I realized long ago if I concentrated on what I wasn't, I would never be able to enjoy what time I did have. I saw Evan drop down and sit on one of the deck loungers next to where my towel and shoes were.

"Listen, I'm not trying to be hard on you for shits and giggles. I love my brother and he has entrusted me with protecting what is his. I take my job seriously and it's because of that I can't trust you. Beyond that, I know something isn't right with you, I knew it from the first time I saw you. Now that I know you are aware of us, that you kept that hidden from us, I trust you even less. I want to warn you, you fuck with me or my brother and there won't be a rock on this earth you can crawl under to hide from me. Eli likes you because his first wife was human, before we all were turned. That's the only reason he is so intrigued by you, it's the only reason he indulges himself with spending time with you. You look just like her, did he tell you that?" he asked me with a sick kind of laugh. I felt my stomach turn, but I knew I couldn't put too much stock in what he was saying. It might be the truth but he was trying to scare me away. Still it was hard hearing.

"It was one of the first things I noticed about you, that and your scars but I think we've beaten that horse enough by now," he finished saying as he rose from his chair to leave.

"You're a good brother," I said to his back. He whipped around, looking beyond shocked at my words. What was more shocking was that I meant them, if I had a brother like him I might have been saved some beatings.

"You trying to mess with me?" he asked me with a speculative glare in his eyes.

"Nope, if I had a brother I would have liked for him to protect me like that. He's lucky to have you, even if you are wrong," I told him rising from the pool and walking towards my chair.

"Alright Hannah, I'll bite. What am I wrong about?" he asked folding his arms across his chest.

"I don't want to see him hurt any more than you do Evan. You can choose to believe me or not, but it was me who ran into that building to get you all out. I could have let that fucking cab take me to Timbuktu and you might all be a pile full of ashes right now. I may be hiding some things, but who isn't? My story is my own to tell, as is yours, as is Eli's. So what, I look like his dead human wife? So what if he likes me because I am human? I am human. You're going to have to do better than that Evan to get me to stay away," I said to him.

"You going to break up a marriage?" he asked me.

"What marriage?" I asked him right back.

"He has a fiancé Hannah, you trying to break that up?"

"You're right Evan he looks so in love with her, how could I?" I said with over the top dramatics knowing there was little to no love between the two.

"She loves him," he told me as he turned to walk away. I guess he didn't like me countering his arguments all that much.

"I think it would be frighteningly easy to love Elijah," I said to him honestly. He paused in his steps after I said that before continuing to walk back, leaving me standing alone, once again.

Chapter 16

I went inside and took a solid hour nap on the plush leather couch in the living room, bathing suit and all. I hadn't realized how completely tired I was. I looked to the clock on the wall of the kitchen and sprang up when I realized I had a half an hour until dinner. Running to the bathroom, I took what could be recorded as the world's fastest shower. When I ran out in a towel, I slipped on the hard wood floor, my leg stubbornly refusing to support my weight. My arm and the side of my head hit the doorframe as I went down, and I could feel the bruise pooling just under my skin in both areas.

I needed more bruises to add to the collection I was currently amassing at the moment like I needed a hole in my head. I got back up and walked to the bedroom, obviously limping now and knowing it would be impossible to hide. I must have strained something in my bad leg on the way down.

I looked into the closet, perusing my choices. I had unpacked most of the clothes in the suitcase, and hung them next to all the other ones so that I could see everything clearly. I didn't know what the dress code for dinner was tonight, but I had a feeling daisy dukes and tube tops weren't going to cut it tonight.

Searching through all the other clothes I managed to find one dress I thought would be suitable for dinner. It was a maxi dress in a light pink color with wide light grey stripes running side to side. It had thin straps and the top crossed in front like a wrap dress, so hopefully I could keep the girls under control. It was a bit long, but I was used to that so it didn't bother me much. I paired it with some nude wedge heels I found in the closet as well, and they even managed to fit my small feet even if they were a tad big.

I found my wedding ring, which I wore on a chain around my neck, in the front pocket of my bag. I wanted to wear it tonight, not just to remind me of Jameson and give me strength, but to remind me of what I had to lose. I pulled it on, the gold chain and band looking sharp against my dress. Thankfully I found some makeup that I could use, and I dabbed a bit on here and there while I set about fixing my hair.

I couldn't help it, so I paced the next ten minutes until it was time to leave the house. My nerves were running wild, and I had the strangest idea that I was on the biggest job interview of my life. I had to say the right things, keep the right things secret for now, and all the mental juggling was bound to give me a migraine before the night ended.

I could hear staff setting up dinner as I was getting ready, but I didn't dare peek out the windows. I needed to come up with a tentative plan on how to handle everything tonight, but I didn't know enough to come up with one. Every idea I had depended too much on how everyone was going to act, and there was no sure way of predicting that really. Especially with Eli and his wild swinging moods.

I walked around and around the living room, until the pain in my leg made it almost impossible to stand a second longer. I glanced at the clock in the kitchen, eleven on the dot. I walked to the front door and opened it, seeing the patio table all set up at the far end of the deck. The distance was so great I almost couldn't make out that everyone was there already, but as I reached closer I knew they were all there waiting.

I started walking, and as I drew closer to the group I was immensely glad I wore the dress. Everyone else was wearing something that looked like something they would wear to a cocktail hour. Ilora and Marcy were in short brown and black dresses and the guys were both in sport coats with dress pants. Compared to them, I looked more like the wait staff than a guest. What could I do? The alternative was looking like something out of a porn video if I went by Luci's wardrobe. Eli and Evan rose when I approached the table and I gave everyone tentative smiles as I sat down in my seat.

"Good evening," I told the table as I sat down. I was met with not a single word, but they weren't running me off yet so I considered it a small success. The server came right over when I sat down, like this was some five star restaurant and not Evan's backyard.

"Can I get you something to drink miss?" he asked me.

"Beer please, whatever you have will be fine," I told him. I almost heard a snort but I ignored it, and the voice belonged to Marcy. The server scurried off after that and the table once again was bathed in silence.

"So Ilora, how was your trip in?" I asked her. She was the only person who looked at me when I sat down for longer than a blink.

"It was uneventful," she said with a sigh.

"You wanted there to be?" I asked her with a smile.

"Of course Hannah, but you don't know me well enough to have guessed that already," she said with a wink, putting me at ease with her open friendliness. Marcy looked like she was about to puke, and it made me smile brighter. Two birds, one stone.

The waiter came back with a Stella Artois for me, one of my favorites, and I took a long drag on it before it had even hit the table. I could only have one because of all the medication, but I would enjoy the hell out of this one and I needed it. I could push it to two or three drinks if I really wanted to, but I tended to get a bit out of control, so I usually tried to keep it in moderation.

"I'll take another Scotch," Eli ordered and I could hear the tsk coming from Marcy even where I was sitting.

"We have that meeting in the morning with the wedding planner," she cooed at him in a reproachful tone. I rolled my eyes at her attempt to bring it up so soon, we hadn't even gotten to dinner yet and she was already at it. I get it lady, you're getting married.

"You must know how time consuming wedding planning was Hannah. Do you remember what it was like?" she asked me in a voice so sugary sweet I could have poured it on my pancakes. Yes, let's bring up my failed marriage now. I had a feeling this night wasn't going to go well anyways, so why not be truthful?

"We did a small ceremony Marcy, so the reception was small as well," I told her in the hopes she would just drop it after that.

"You are married?" I heard Ilora ask in a sincere way.

"I am divorced," I told her evenly. I spied the servers coming our way and relaxed. They had plates of salad with them and I was so thankful that Marcy would be too full of food to ask any more questions of me.

"That must have been devastating for you, what happened?" Marcy asked as she reached across the table to hold my hand. She was too fast, and before I could snatch it away she was holding it like my long lost best friend.

"Marcy," Ilora spoke up before I could. I put up my free hand indicating it was okay.

"He met someone else," I told them all as I took a bite of my salad. I could feel Eli's eyes snap to me, just as I could see Marcy's eyes light up like Christmas morning.

"Well, I bet they won't last," Ilora said in an obvious attempt to make me feel better. It came out sounding awkward but sincere.

"They got married last Christmas and are expecting a baby now," I told them all. I was fighting tears, I could feel them welling up in my eyes, and it pissed me off that I was reacting like this. Maybe it was just admitting it all aloud that got to me. Maybe it was the fact that I missed Jameson, not just as a husband but as the one person who always had my back. Here I was fighting for my life, and he was playing house with Hannah 2.0 I was always alone, but it seemed to be affecting me more now, now that I was closer to dying.

We finished our salads in silence, with me managing to fight back my feelings, and as the waiters took the plates away I ordered another beer, I was going to need it.

"Is that a good idea for someone like you?" Evan asked me, still clearly pissed about our interaction earlier.

My patience was at a non-existent level so I asked, "For someone like me? You want to just get down to it and tell me what the hell you mean Evan?" I saw Ilora choke a bit on a laugh, wine sputtering to stay in her mouth.

"For someone who obviously has problems with...depression, someone on medication," he said looking at my wrists. Oh great, this was just going swimmingly for me tonight, let's go for the hat trick shall we?

"Evan," Eli called out in a deep and no nonsense tone. It was one that said he wanted him to shut up.

"Eli, I know you think we owe her something, and perhaps we do, but we need to be honest here. She comes into our lives out of the blue, I have to bring this stuff up, I have to ask it. I wouldn't be very good at my job if I didn't," he said looking for once remorseful at me. The reprieve didn't last long.

"I found some anti-depressants in her bag Eli, and I know what those scars are from. I'm not making blind accusations, I'm worried we are letting someone in here we know nothing about. And the things that we do know trouble me," he said to Eli, looking at him with pleading eyes. It was like an out of body experience, letting them talk about me while I sat here staring off to the side at the pool like a scolded child.

"Add to that she just comes in here, the same night we are attacked and miraculously saves us. A human? Then she says she knew all about us, what the hell does that sound like to you? It sounds like a whole lot of hard facts masquerading as coincidence," he finished and I saw a new look of elation on the face of Marcy. Ilora didn't say much, but she didn't know or the situation at all so it was no surprise to me that she stayed silent.

Eli looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there, but as Evan was talking I could see Eli give me a sidelong glance. Evan was getting to him, which meant I didn't have a prayer of this working in my favor if I let this continue. I looked pretty suspicious no matter how you looked at the situation. I was going to have to revisit my plan B's later tonight, maybe even think about going home. I don't think I was going to be gaining anyone's trust here, not without some work.

"Eli, I think you should listen to your brother," Marcy decided to chime in then. I was in shock it took her so long to jump in and agree with Evan, she looked like she was foaming at the mouth earlier. "We don't have that much time until the wedding, and between that and all the celebrations we are hosting, we can't risk having her here," she said. I could see Evan agreed with this, but Ilora and Eli still look stone faced. I was betting Ilora and Eli were close, so it would be natural for her to want to protect him.

As for Eli, I just had no clue what he was thinking. He wasn't agreeing with them but he also didn't try to stop them talking about something so personal that it had no business being discussed third hand with me at the table.

I cleared my throat and rose from the table, "I'm not feeling too well, it's this damn headache. I think I'm just going to head back now." I felt a hand at my elbow and Eli was looking at the bruise at my temple and on my arm.

"What happened?" he asked me softly. I could feel his touch sear my skin, and I yanked my arm away.

"I fell. Thank you for inviting me to dinner Elijah, Ilora it was a pleasure," I told them as I rose and walked back to the house. I wanted Eli to come rushing out to me, to come and apologize for allowing them to treat me like that. I wanted to run back there and tell them all off, use the cancer card that I never played just once.

Instead I stormed into the house, slamming the door behind me. This was all my damn fault. I came here with this ridiculous idea that he was going to be easy to get to know, that I would seduce him and we would share passionate embraces until I told him the truth and he would give me his blood. In my head, it would all work and I would be healed, I would get to live out the rest of my days.

Instead I walked into a community that already mistrusted me, placed myself in a compromising situation in which I looked guilty, and tried to get in between a man and his fiancé. No matter how horrible she was, this wasn't really me. I had to come up with something better or get the hell out of here before someone found out who I was, and killed me.

I laid on the bed, staring up at the ceiling and thinking of all the other options I could, it was a parade of dumb idea after another. It hit me somewhere along the way that there was no dignity here, no way for me to hold onto myself in the process of trying to get Eli's blood. That was the deal breaker for me, the one problem that I couldn't get past. I laid there for several hours and I think I nodded off for a spell because I woke up only to realize it was nearing one in the morning.

I purposefully made sure I stayed away from the windows, but I tried to keep an ear out for when they would clean up and everyone would head back. I wanted to sit outside in the fresh air a little, I felt like my lungs weren't getting enough air in here and it scared me. I had never had breathing problems before, but since Dr. Reece told me that I could develop new symptoms at any time, I was nervous anytime something out of the ordinary popped up with me. Maybe it was just a panic attack at the realization I came to earlier. Either way, I felt like I was suffocating being stuck in this room.

I walked to the front and gently swept away the curtains. There was no sign of the earlier dinner party, and I couldn't see a light on in Evan's house at all. I craned my neck as best I could, but I couldn't see much going on in Eli's house either. I had changed earlier into some cut off shorts and a big sweatshirt I found in the closet. I grabbed a stack of some magazines and a tattered romance novel, and headed out to one of the cozy looking lawn couches and chairs that were off to the side of the deck. It had a small fire pit, but the reason I chose it was because it overlooked the woods.

I settled into the big chair that was right in front of the wicker coffee table. I put the books and magazines down and sat back, looking off into the woods and spreading the blanket I had grabbed at the last second over my legs. I had always been comforted by it, the trees and the earth and smell of animals had called to something buried deep inside me. Perhaps it called to the part of me that never developed, a part of me that never got to experience it the way the twins had.

I had no wolf form but I could feel the longing in my body for it. I could feel the tears coming, the tears that came from the sudden acknowledgement of the fact that I wasn't meant for this world much longer. This whole half-baked plan wasn't going to work, and I couldn't respect myself for trying anything desperate. I was flat out crying out here now, there was no stopping it, and the grief was coming in waves.

I had the feeling that being here was a mistake. I closed my eyes and let the tears fall, knowing I needed to let it out. I heard a noise, one so chilling and familiar I couldn't ignore it. I snapped my eyes open and looked into the woods. For the smallest of seconds I saw a flash of two yellow eyes peering back at me from the edge of the trees, not thirty feet from me. I knew instinctively it wasn't the twins, they would never growl and flash their eyes at me, and they had agreed to stay out this mess.

Plus, they knew other wolves in our clan had done that to me as a child and it scared the ever loving life out of me. I squinted again, but the limbs and branches were to low and thick for me to discern a shape out of the darkness. Despite the lack of visual confirmation, I could still sense it's eyes on me, even if I couldn't see them at the moment I knew he was there.

I sat there for a few seconds longer, trying to give the impression that I didn't see anything. It could be looking to attack, or it could be just be a scout looking for information. Either way I needed to stall and figure out a plan.

Casually taking the blanket off, I set it down next me in case I needed to make a run for it, not that I would go very far before it caught me. I shrugged off my flip flops, knowing they would slow me down, and grabbed the paperback from the table to pretend to read. A few seconds later and all the lights to the outside pool area shut off and I knew it wasn't by coincidence, he was coming after me. I got up from my chair and sprinted as fast as I could towards the pool house, thankful it was close enough I could make it. I ran in and locked the door behind me. Sprinting back to the bedroom, I dove onto the bed and pulled the gun out from under the pillow. I clicked off the safety as I made my way down the front hallway.

I was just about to pull the curtain aside when I heard a growl from the other side of the window, and I sprinted towards the back door of the pool house. I swung it open and closed it behind me just as I heard the wolf breach the front, by running right through the large glass window. I ran around the other side of the pool and made my way, gun in tow, to the side of Evan's house that held the garage. It was the only door I had seen him use, and I was hoping and praying that he was home.

I couldn't hear anything behind me and I wasn't sure how long he would search for me in there before he realized I wasn't there. I was panting now and my leg was about to give out, but somehow I made my way over to where the door was. I started knocking lightly on the door, checking over my shoulder and stopping in intervals to try and listen for noises. When I heard the glass being disturbed again from the pool house, I knew it was a matter of time before he caught my scent. I started banging with all my might on the back door.

"Evan!" I screamed out.

"Evan! Evan!" I yelled as I pounded on the door with my one hand while the other was firmly pointed at the driveway before me. I realized I must have cut my hand on something during this because there was blood on the door from that hand, and the harder I knocked on the door the more my hand slid off. I was just waiting for it now, I could hear the slapping of its paws on the pavement as he approached. I stopped trying to knock on the door, it was obvious Evan wasn't there and wasn't going to help me.

I braced myself for the shot, I only had a little bit of moonlight to work with and I was going to have to plug enough into this head and neck to sever the spinal cord. Anything short of that and he would heal, then kill me. I saw him round the corner and then a fierce growl came out of his snarl. I saw his front paws bend down to get ready to strike and I didn't hesitate. I fired three successful shots but one of them missed, and he leapt for me clamping my bad leg like a vise around my calf. I moved to aim again but I was too off balance, not to mention worried he was going to snap my leg like a twig if he bit down any further.

As it was I could feel his teeth slicing through my skin. I kicked him with my other foot right on the snout, knowing it would cause him to release my leg. I fell back when he released it, and I scrambled on my hands and feet trying to put some distance between us. It gave me just enough room, and time, to aim and fire. I plugged the last rounds of the clip in a tight cluster until he fell down in a heap on the driveway and his twitching turned to stillness.

I kept staring at the large wolf, unsure if I caused enough damage to kill him. Shivering as the night breeze picked up a bit, I realized it was going to rain soon, I could smell it in the now humid air. The wolf still hadn't moved, and I took that as a good sign. Combined with the fact that I was a damn good shot, the probability of death was high. I sat there for what seemed like ages, continuing to stare at the now obviously dead animal. It would never turn back human, I knew from experience that if a shifter died in their animal form, they remained that way.

It didn't feel as unnatural as one would have thought, being in the presence of a dead beast like that. Growing up surrounded by werewolves all the time made me comfortable around them normally, even if I was only a human. Outside of a few that liked to terrorize me as a child, most of them were kind and gentle with me. This one reminded me of the former group, and it seemed I had no troubles killing them if I had to. After all, I had done it before.

It was so dark back here, and I was reminded of the fact that the lights to the street, as well as some of the houses, seemed to not be working. There must have been someone here who was helping the wolf, the backyards were too well lit for anything to get a jump on someone. I briefly thought about getting up and looking for help but there was no way to know if there was another enemy around. I had no more bullets left in my gun, so I was in essence completely defenseless, alone and in the dark, with a hopefully dead werewolf sitting five feet from me. Those gunshots were loud, surely someone had heard them, I was sure someone would come out and check on it. I dragged myself over to the side of the garage door itself, putting some more distance in between me and the wolf. I noticed that my leg was far worse than I had imagined, and I was forced to rip the hem of the sweatshirt I had borrowed so that I could wrap it around the cuts that seemed to be bleeding still.

I felt, and heard, a huge clap of thunder, and I closed my eyes when I understood it was going to start pouring soon, which was just what I needed. I leaned back as far as I could against the last of the three garage doors in an attempt to not have my head rained on. There was a slight lip to the top of the garage where the gutter lay and I was hoping it would keep a little of the rain off me. I enjoyed about fifteen minutes of dry contemplation when the first of the big rain drops started to plop on the concrete near me. It wasn't long before the rain was coming down in sheets, and the gutter overhead proved to do not a damn thing to stop it.

Chapter 17

The rain continued to fall, even if it was a slightly less violent kind of downpour, it soaked me to the bone. I was still in the cut off shorts and sweatshirt, with the bottom torn at an odd angle, and it provided little warmth for my body against the elements. The only thing I could console myself with was that the wolf didn't move a muscle the whole time. I had the gun resting in my lap still, but it slid off into the space between my legs when I started shivering so hard that my whole body shook. I tried to close my eyes and think of something warm and happy, but in my life those memories were a little hard to come by. Either from blood loss, or exhaustion I wasn't sure, but at some point I passed out.

I felt the lights pass over my body, they were so bright they brought me out of my unconscious state. I opened my eyes just a fraction, it was all my tired body would allow for the moment and I realized that it was headlights that were shining on me. Evan, I thought absently, he must be home now. I took a second to check and found the wolf was still there, surely dead by now and I sighed in relief. I heard the car skid to a halt and a car doors fly open. It wasn't raining any longer, and blissfully my sweatshirt was only damp now. I must have been out for a while for it to air dry like that.

"Eli stay back," Evan bellowed out as he approached me carefully. I was much more awake now, my eyes didn't feel so heavy but I was so dizzy I had a hard time keeping my head upright.

"Werewolf," I said weakly pointing to the dead animal a few feet from me. "Make sure he's dead," I turned and threw up spectacularly into the small bush that was on the side of me. I felt hands on my back and when I turned Eli was there. I could see Evan approached the wolf and was putting his hands on it.

"Dead," Evan confirmed a confused look on his face as he turned to look at me.

"What happened Hannah?" Eli asked me running a hand over my face. I tuned my head into his hand, it felt so good against my cold cheek I closed my eyes.

"Anjinho," he said as he dropped his hand and peeled back the pieces of torn sweatshirt to look at my leg. I felt Evan come up and squat down next to where Eli was, probably to hear what I had to say.

I went into the most detailed description I could manage, trying to remember every detail in the hopes they could get some information out of it. I tried to cover everything, and while I was explaining I could hear the brothers arguing in Portuguese with each other in intervals. I reached the end of my story finally, I was too damn tried to continue even if I could.

"The wolf found me, took a chuck out of my leg, so I emptied the whole mag into him and here I am," I said holding my arms out limply. They continued to argue for a minute or two and I could guess what part they were talking about.

"Someone cut those lights Eli, I'm sure of it," I told him. "Right after I spotted the wolf and prepared to run, the lights to Evan's, yours, and two other houses went out. It was planned, I know it." Eli looked over to Evan who in turn ran back to the car.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here, we had to pick some people up from the airport. Red eye flight," he explained as he took off his sport coat and wrapped it around me. It smelled like him and I could feel his warmth transfer to my own. "I am going to call in a friend of mine, he's a good doctor. I want him to check your leg, you may need a few stitches," he said as he rose to picking me up in his arms as he did so.

"Make sure to get the gun, it was right by my legs, I put the safety on but there isn't anything left in it," I said weakly to him as he continued to walk. He called out behind him to Evan. When we got a few feet away I saw the garage doors open. He walked me inside, and headed for another inside door that I was hoping led to Evan's house. He switched on the lights in the kitchen and I could hear Evan's feet behind us.

"Put her in the bathroom next to the garage," Evan said with a scowl, clearly still not liking the fact that I was in his house to begin with.

"I'm taking her upstairs to the guest bedroom, the one with the attached bathroom. That is where she is going to stay, with me," he said turning towards his brother, an expression so fierce on his face I thought his jaw would crack in two. When Evan looked like he was going to say something else Eli interrupted him.

"Or I can take her home with me," he told his brother with a raised eyebrow. Evan shook his head and then motioned for him to continue up the stairs.

"Call Dr. Allman," he told Evan.

"I had Ilora call when I ran back to the car, she should be here in a half hour, forty five minutes tops," Evan said back.

We kept climbing the stairs, it was a huge winding staircase that formed an S in the entryway. The wrought iron bannisters were gorgeously done in organic and flowing shapes that contrasted nicely with the more modern aspects of the house I could see so far. It was a resolutely bachelor type pad, no great amounts of feminine touches could be found. I had a feeling Evan preferred it that way. We reached the top and walked the long hallway to the far end of the hall. The room must be large because it boasted a set of double doors in front of it.

Evan reached around us to open the doors, and I found myself looking at a beautifully done up room. It was still masculine, the walls were painted in a dark gunmetal grey color and the floors were all a pretty walnut hard wood. The room had a large oriental rug in deep shades of blue, gold, and dark brown that covered up most of the room. There was a large king sized bed, with a navy blue comforter and pillows. We walked past all that very fast and headed towards the bathroom, I didn't want to bleed all over the room either.

I could still hear Evan behind us, and I could tell by the way Eli was holding me he wasn't a big fan of being hovered over.

"That should do it Evan, you can let Dr. Allman up when she gets here," he told him with a wave, which indicated he wished Evan to leave. He gave Eli one last look and then left the bathroom, shaking his head the whole way.

Eli placed me on the edge of the sink, the counter top was so large and deep I fit nicely on it. He pulled some supplies out of the medicine cabinet, some tape, gauze, and a washcloth. He wet the washcloth and ran it lightly over the cuts on my leg. He cleaned up the cut on my hand, though it was more of a scratch really, and then did a light dressing on my wounds.

"I shouldn't have left you unprotected," he told me as he wrapped my leg in the gauze. "I seem to have been complacent here, no one has tried anything on my land for quite a while."

"You couldn't have known," I said back. I didn't blame him for what happened, I didn't see it coming either. He finished up what he was doing and then looked to my face.

"I'm going to take your clothes off now," he said in a tone that barely hinted at how he was feeling. It was deep and husky, and I was having a hard time not responding to it.

I nodded my head, and raised my hands above my head so he could take the sweatshirt off. He pulled in a gentle and even move so it wouldn't hurt, and I was so thankful when its damp heaviness left my body. I was now sitting in my light pink bra and shorts. I couldn't tear my eyes from him as he undressed me. It was one of the sexiest things that I had ever experienced. He moved closer to me, and unbuttoned the top of my shorts, pulling down the zipper. He then put his hands under my arms and lifted me to stand.

"Keep off that leg," he told me and I propped myself up on my good foot while holding on to the counter. He knelt down in front of me and pulled the sides of the shorts down to my knees. I didn't think I could stand it much longer if he didn't hurry it up, I was going to go up in flames with him so close to me.

He slid one side over my bad foot and then picked me up again to put me on the counter so he could get them all the way off. I think I was panting at this point and trying not to embarrass myself. There was something about the two of us together, it was something primal, something that I couldn't help or stop even if I wanted to.

He looked at me and then left the room, I wasn't sure what to make of him moving so quickly. Perhaps he was just as affected by me as I was by him. He returned a few seconds later with one of Evan's shirts, it was a black Ramones t-shirt.

"I don't think any of the pants will stay on you, you're much too small but this should be long enough to cover the important parts," he said to me. I took it gladly, feeling overexposed in just my underwear on the counter like this. I put the shirt on, wincing a bit as I bent my shoulder a certain way. It was getting worse.

"Did you hurt your shoulder as well?" he asked me noticing my ginger movements.

"Not tonight," I said as I pulled the shirt as far down as it would go. I felt much better for the moment.

"I don't think you are going to need stitches," he said examining my face as he spoke. "But I have little background on such things, so I want to be sure."

"I kicked him a good one before he could do too much damage I think," I said smiling. I was proud of what I did, defending myself.

"You want to tell me why you knew just how to kill a werewolf Hannah?" he asked me with a more serious face, uh oh. Well it wasn't like I had much to lose at this point.

"I was raised by them," I told him plainly, shrugging. He moved at vampire speed to the other side of the bathroom, like I was the dangerous one here.

"What do you mean you were raised by them?" he asked me looking dumbstruck.

"My parents were werewolves, but it didn't seem to transfer to me," I told him with another shrug of my shoulders.

"You must be a wolf then, if your parents were," he accused me stepping back even more and looking angry now.

"You would have smelled me the minute I walked into the room at your party Eli, so don't go accusing me of something you have no proof of," I told him proudly back.

"Don't you think that's something you should have told me Hannah, preferably before I had my hands all over you in the pool? Before I..." he said, leaving me salivating over just what he was going to say.

"Before you what Eli?" I asked him, unable to sit here and not ask it.

"Before I defiled myself by fucking you," he said to me and I couldn't stop the flinch from appearing on my face. He looked for a second like he regretted it, but he didn't back down. He was yelling a bit and I wondered how long it would be before Evan came running up here.

"That's what has your royal panties in a bunch? Does it make a difference where I came from, or does it just matter that I came from two werewolves?" I asked him, feeling my own anger rising. I was discriminated against for not being a shifter, and now I was being harassed for almost being one.

"They are our natural enemy Hannah, it is ingrained in me to feel that way. We have been fighting wars against each other for millennia. This isn't just some family grudge, it's fucking biology. Now I know why Evan dislikes you so much," he said.

"Evan dislikes me because he can't figure me out, and it's the same reason you won't let your guard down around me. Are you will to throw away the connection we have, and don't even think about denying it, all because of who gave me life?" I asked him, in the next instant he had me pinned by the throat against the bathroom window. His large hand was wrapped around my neck, with a gentle but knowing pressure. He was staring at me like he would know all of my secrets if he just looked hard enough.

"You can't mind control me vampire, I'm immune," I told him in a rasped voice, he wasn't letting me get too much air in, and I was having trouble with words. He took a deep breath in and spoke in a clear and scary voice.

"I don't know what you're playing at here, but if I find out you're lying I will kill you myself. I'm sure growing up in that...community you heard stories about me. All of them are true or worse. You will remain in this room until myself and my council have a chance to question you. Any attempts to evade my questions and I will resort to less than gentlemanly ways to make you talk," he said to me and then released my throat. I fell from the counter and landed in a heap on the floor. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes, and I was just holding on to everything by the very tips of my fingers now. I took a deep breath up and stared at him.

"It feels like home here now Eli, my parents used to do the same thing to me when I was younger. They wanted to provoke me into bringing my wolf out, no matter how many times I told them she wasn't there, they kept on baiting and beating me until I couldn't walk. They would threaten me, accuse me of lying. I've had my father's hands on me the same way you just did you judgmental bastard. So you can keep thinking it would be who defiled you, somehow I think it might be the other way around," I said as I felt the first drops of tears splash against the tile of the bathroom. He looked at me, an expression that was unreadable to me. I couldn't tell for sure, but I thought I saw the smallest amount of sympathy in his face, maybe even regret, but it was gone just as soon as I saw it.

He turned around and I saw Evan standing in the doorway, giving me a pitying look. I thought he would be overjoyed that someone finally figured it out about me, but he looked from his brother back to me with a frown.

"Dr. Allman is here," he told Eli.

"Compensate her and tell her to go home. Hannah is fine, and will heal naturally on her own," he said to me in an accusatory tone.

"Are you sure?" Evan asked him.

"I dressed her wounds already, she will be fine. Apologize for wasting the good doctor's time," Eli said dismissively.

"I need my medicine, if someone can grab my bags from the pool house," I said to the floor, hating to ask it but knowing I needed them. I couldn't let them see me like this I didn't care if I had to talk to the damn ground all night.

"Of course," Eli said. "Evan you go and collect all of Hannah's things." I saw Evan hesitate for a second and then leave the room.

I stayed silent, it wasn't so much of a strategy as a lack of anything to say. If I had to be honest, I would say that his reaction to who I was, hurt me deeply. I had thought we had something, Eli and I, but now it was clear that I had fallen into the same trap as before. I wanted a man who didn't want me, who was promised to someone else, who chose to follow what was expected of him, over what he wanted and over what was right. I couldn't think of a single worse feeling in the whole world than realizing I was making the same mistakes again. I decided just to give in and lay down on the ground of the bathroom, letting the cool tile under my face fan the flames of my skin.

"Hannah," I heard Evan say after a while. I turned from my position on the floor to find it was just him standing there with my bags at the ground by his feet. He walked over to where I was on the floor and helped me to my feet. He had put my small container of meds on the counter with a glass of milk. I nodded at him, a silent thanks on my face. He turned to walk out and then turned back to me.

"I can tell Eli feels bad, he's pacing around his weight room and throwing shit all over the place," he told me in a kind voice. I continued in my self-imposed silent treatment of all parties involved. I spent the next ten minutes clearing my eyes enough to get the right dosage in me. Evan stood in the doorway the whole time, and I was too curious why not to address it.

"Why are you still here?" I asked him in what I hoped didn't come off as too bitchy.

"I have no clue," he said with a chuckle. I appreciated his honesty even if it did confuse the hell out of me.

"It's nearing dawn, I'm going to head in for the day. I will come and get you when it's time for the meeting, don't take it personally but I'm going to lock you in. When you wake ,ring number nine on the phone by the bed and my housekeeper will bring you something up to eat," he said to me. I nodded at him and he left the room. I hobbled to the bed, throwing myself on it and feel asleep within moments, dried tears covering my cheeks.

_I was in the same school building as the earlier dream, right where I left off as I struggled against the tide of blood that was closely filling up the gymnasium. It was so much thicker than water, and with the nightgown weighing me down, I was having a hard time moving in the liquid. The blood was up to my chest now, and soon I would have to tread in it just to keep my head up. I tried to practice a little, and felt my feet hit something on the ground. I moved my toe around and felt a circular ring that was set into the floor. I kept searching with my feet and felt a handle. I didn't notice if before and I had a feeling it wasn't there in my first dream. _

_I looked around and noticed I was running out of options, I had no choice but to investigate it. I took a deep breath in and dove down to the bottom reaching out frantically with my hands to find the handle. I ran out of air and had to come back up, taking several tries until I finally felt it under my fingers. I thought about it for just a second but realized it was my best bet, unless I wanted to drown in my own blood._

_I curled my fingers around the handle and pulled with all my might. The hole itself must have been bigger than I imagined when I was feeling for it with my feet, because with a surge of the blood behind me I was thrown through the floor, landing in a heap below._

_I took a moment to gather myself, noticing I was still in the same clothes but there wasn't a drop of blood in sight. I was back in the same gymnasium as before, the same one from my high school. This one was full of people though, no one that I could recognize, certainly no one from my clan. I spent a minute looking at them but there was nothing to indicate someone or something familiar. They were all dancing around, oblivious to me sitting on the floor in my nightgown. _

_They were all dressed nicely, elegant but not so formal, in beautiful dresses and suits. I stood up from the floor and looked around again, finally spotting Eli dancing with Marcy, and Evan dancing with myself? I shook my head and looked again but it was without a doubt me. I walked over to where they were at the opposite end of the room._

_"Evan?" I asked him when I reached where they were dancing. He either was ignoring me or couldn't see me at all, but regardless he didn't answer me. I had the odd sensation while I watched myself dance with him. I looked happy, carefree, and most importantly healthy. My skin was glowing and I was moving around the dance floor with not a limp in site. I turned and walked over to where Eli was dancing. _

_Marcy was dressed in an elegant emerald green dress, it was short and had interesting straps that crossed in the front and back. Eli looked breathtaking in his suit, it was black with a matching thin black tie. I had the heartbreaking thought that they looked good together, but that they didn't belong together. He belonged to me. I felt a wave of possessiveness run through me, so powerful that I reached out to remove Marcy from his embrace. She turned at the last second and shoved me back._

_"Back off human, he is not yours," she told me. She could see me? Eli looked from her to me, concerned brows bunching together like he couldn't quite see me._

_"He is mine, and I challenge you for him," I told her rising to my full height._

_"Challenge me? You cannot challenge a vampire for a mate," she responded back, but I could the unease in her eyes._

_"The fuck I can," I told her stepping forwards and stretching out my arms._

_"This is ridiculous, I would kill you before you could blink," she said meeting my stare._

_"Perhaps, but it would be worth it. I fight for what is mine, if I go down in the pursuit then it will be a good death," I told her as I got into a fighting stance. I could feel my heartbeat in my ears, but I was unafraid. _

_"So be it human," she said as she sprang for me._

Chapter 18

I gasped awake, trying to shake the disorienting feeling of still being stuck in my dream.

"Hannah!" I heard Eli say as he was perched over my bed, clearly having been shaking me for the past little while.

"Get off me," I yelled and he sat back onto his heels in the bed. He ran a hand through his hair, and then he looked at me again.

"You were screaming something horrific up here, I didn't know what I was going to find when I broke the doors in," he said looking tired and shaking his head a bit.

"I'm fine, it was just a nightmare," I said in a shaky voice. He looked at me like I was being a stubborn idiot, which I was.

"You are not fine, it took me five minutes at least to wake you up. That's not normal Hannah," he told me.

"I'm not normal Eli, remember?" I said sarcastically back to him.

"No you're not," he said as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. He held his hand by my jaw, and then placed his hand gently over my throat in the exact same position as he had the night. He held it there, it was such a gentle touch that it didn't scare me. He closed his eyes and let his hand fall away.

"I'm okay Eli, go back to bed," I told him softly.

"I don't deal well with surprises, or breeches of my security," he told me, clearly ignoring what I said to him about leaving. I was guessing it was his version of an apology.

"That's not good enough Eli," I said shaking my head. He was fighting a smile now, and I had to turn away before I did something stupid like smile back at him.

"I don't know what to do with you," he countered, getting closer to the truth.

"That's better but it's still not enough, you don't strike me as someone who would settle for anything less than that," I said and at my words he flopped back onto his back on the bed. Goodness, could he look any more perfect than lying down beneath me?

I don't know what you want me to say," he said looking and sounding frustrated.

"That you're wrong," I told him back quickly, knowing that was the one think he didn't want to admit.

"Wrong about what?" he asked me turning and laying on his side now and facing me.

"You're wrong in thinking I want to hurt you or your people," I told him honestly. Outside of Marcy I didn't have a problem with anyone I had met so far.

"Ilora likes you," he told me. "She hates everyone, sometimes I think even me, but she likes you. She chided me the whole way to the airport and back about dinner. She would have stopped it herself but she likes the drama too much to interfere."

"I like her too," I admitted. "I bet Marcy hates her," I added in, thinking about the way she was looking at her through dinner.

"Yes, it's best to keep them separate if at all possible," he told me trying to stifle a bit of a laugh.

"Why the hell are you going to marry her?" I asked him abruptly. It was rude of me, but I couldn't hold it in any longer. Eli didn't look too offended but he did close his eyes for a long second before answering.

"Her father runs the coast along most of Europe, and most importantly all of the major ports and shipping vessels. It was a great strategic opportunity to branch out, to have alliances and trade agreements with them will allow this seethe to prosper well into the next century. I couldn't pass it up," he said wearily.

"Is that why you are marrying her but not mating her?" I pressed further. Mating was a step above marriage, it was a step above everything that a vampire or shifter relationship could aspire to. It was a true union, of all elements involved, merging the two bodies as one, merging thoughts and souls. In a vampire mating, as well as shifter mating, the couples could procreate when mated, creating perfectly supernatural children who were stronger and more powerful than their turned counterparts. It was rarer now than it was once, but it still happened.

"I made it a condition of the deal," was his only response. I let it hang there for a little while, I didn't know what else to say to him.

"Tell me about growing up human in a shifter town," he said, yawning as he spoke it.

"It isn't a bedtime story for tonight, some other time," I said mimicking his earlier yawn. I couldn't tell him everything now, he would throw me out or kill me, I wasn't sure which, but either way I ended up dead.

"Tell me another bedtime story then," he asked me as he pulled the comforter up around him. I laid back and got under the covers too, unable to stop myself from spending time like this with him. I curled onto my side, opposite him and snuggled my head into the pillow.

"I was dead when I was born," I blurted out to him, not intending to tell him it and it surprised even me that I said it. I could hear his intake of breath. Eli didn't tell me continue, but I knew he was interested.

"My mother had a hard time delivering me, I got stuck on the way out. My shoulder was lodged and she couldn't push me out all the way. At that point the cord was around my neck and I lost oxygen to the point my heart stopped. They had to use extra force to pull me out, but by the time I entered the world I was already dead. They started working on me right away but I was flat lined a full two minutes before they restarted my heart. Then my mother went into distress, her blood pressure dropped and she almost died from blood loss. They had to remove her uterus in the end, I was to be their only child," I said to him with a bitter laugh knowing how disappointed they were in me.

"Your father must have been frantic," he said, stating what would be the obvious if he didn't know my father.

"He was with his mistress on vacation in the Caribbean. My mother's current boy toy was there though, she said he looked worried," I told him remembering how she used to tell me the story when I was younger.

"You fought even then," he said to me.

"I've had to fight every moment since," I told him honestly, torn between wanting to tell him more, and having to guard some of my secrets. He reached out and with his super speed flipped me around so my back was to his front. He pulled his other arm around me, landing on my stomach as he scooted me back so I was flush with him.

I knew what I should be doing, which was kicking him out, but I couldn't make my body do it. I just melted right into the crook of his, and with his breath hot on my cheek I feel asleep in the arms of the vampire king.

When I woke, I noticed there was someone hovering over the bed we were in. I frantically sat up, and the motion caused Eli to sit up as well. I was met with Evan, who was looking between the two of us and holding back a smirk.

"Evan," Eli said nodding to his brother.

"I thought I would bring Hannah some food, the housekeeper said she hadn't awoken yet and I was concerned," he told us, looking like a disapproving father.

"I had a bad dream," I blurted out, sounding like a child. Like it made any more sense to why Eli was in bed with me. The guys enjoyed a nice laugh at my comment, and Evan turned to leave.

"There's food on the table, it's already eight thirty so get a move on it," Evan yelled out as he closed the door behind him with a wink. I leapt up from the bed and searched the bags.

"Where is it, where is it," I chanted as I went through the bags that were laid out on the small table by the two chairs in the corner.

"Yes!" I exclaimed holding up the coffee cup. Eli was lying in bed and giving me a full megawatt smile and I had to check my nightgown to make sure it didn't explode into flames at the sight of him.

I took all the bags to bed, taking large sips of my coffee as I went along.

"What are you doing?" he asked me when I got closer.

"What does it look like you highness, its breakfast," I said laughing as I plopped all the bags onto the bed. He didn't look like he needed more telling as he ripped into the bags. After he laid out all the food and we began digging in.

"Can I have some coffee?" he asked me as I pulled the cup protectively towards me.

You should know Eli, I take my coffee seriously. I don't just share it with anyone," I told him teasingly when I handed the cup over to him.

"I feel honored then, but just so you know I would take it from you even if you didn't offer it," he said back. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"You must underestimate the power of my love for coffee," I told him with a smile. "I wouldn't just give it up like that, you would have to chase me down and force my hand if you wanted to take it from me." I saw his eyes flash at the mention of chasing me down. I didn't even plan for all this to happen, and I honestly wasn't playing my game anymore. It was just me and him, and I wasn't going to let it go to waste. I had wanted him since the first time I saw him, and I wasn't going to give that up without a fight.

"You underestimate me then Hannah, I'm the king for a reason. I think it's cute you think you can outrun me, cute but delusional," he said with a predatory gleam in his smile.

"Is that works with all the ladies? Look at how fast and strong I am, I'm the king for a reason...my goodness you must be swimming in them by now, no wonder Evan has all of those bikinis in his pool house. How many of them did you remove yourself?" I asked him taking a big bite of the pancakes that were in the container nearest me. They were chocolate chip and a little slice of heaven.

"That's all Evan, he has a softer touch with the ladies than I ever did," he said thoughtfully.

"Then those aren't the women you want," I told him, feeling the heat between us like a palpable entity, like a sentient wave of fire that was bouncing back and forth between us.

"And what kind of woman do I want," he asked taking a bite out of a breakfast sandwich. I was stuck watching his powerful jaws make work of the food so it took me a second to answer.

"You want one that doesn't mind the rougher touch, the kind of woman that wants to make you work for it, the kind of woman who can handle you as much as you handle her," I told him as I forgot all about breakfast, all about food, all about what I was supposed to be doing here and why. All I knew was that I needed him, I needed to be near him and have him near me. I couldn't describe the feeling even if my life depended on it.

"And where should I find said woman," he asked me, taking another sip of coffee.

"You could try Craig's list. They have people there that will do just about anything," I said snatching back the coffee cup from his hands. He grinned at me, showing a full row of white but imperfect teeth. He looked like he wanted to eat me next, and I couldn't stop the rush of pleasure that shot through me.

He made a move to drop the sandwich and I could tell he was about to pounce. I mirrored his thoughts and started moving backwards on the bed so that I ended up standing opposite from him, with the bed in between us. He moved to go around and I could tell I wasn't going to get far, so I jumped up onto the bed to try to get to the other side. I knew he would catch me, but it still sent a thrill through me. We tumbled around the bed, him grabbing me gently and me trying to get away. He wasn't using his vampire strength, he was just letting me have some fun, but I knew it would end soon. He flipped me around and he was hovering on top of me.

"I'm laying on breakfast," I admonished him gently.

"Hannah, you are breakfast," he said and then kissed me. It was sweet and rough at the same time, the kind of consuming embrace that fueled the passion between us. Our tongues met in a dueling battle for dominance, I met him for every stroke. He wouldn't get it easy from me, he had to earn it.

He stopped suddenly and I used the second to turn him on his back so I was straddling him. I could feel the syrup and food that was stuck to the back of my nightgown, and looked to him to see he had some on his chest as well. I licked up the sides of his ribs, biting gently when I saw a scrap of food. He was trying to stay still for me, but I could feel his impatience at the time I was taking. I sat up, feeling his length under me and I licked my lips at the thought of taking him in my mouth. He groaned when he saw me and bucked his hips against me, nudging me into action.

He reached up and cupped my face, I grabbed on to his hand with both of mine a closed my eyes. His other hand moved to the strap of my nightgown as he pulled it down. Just as he was about to pull it over my breast I heard a knock at the door. He must have sensed who it was because he pulled the strap back into place and called, "Come in Evan."

I couldn't even hide the groan if I wanted to. I turned to the door and said, "You have horrible fucking timing Evan, the next time you even think about interrupting this I want you to know I will cut you, vampire or not you still need your balls," I warned as I reached over and plucked a piece of bacon off of Eli's neck and chomped on it. Eli roared with laughter, it was a sound so infectious I couldn't stop watching him.

I looked to Evan again and he was looking from him to me with complete astonishment.

"What the hell did you do to my guest bed?" he screeched.

"We are enjoying breakfast brother, I must say Penny really outdid herself today. It's delicious," Eli said looking at me. I giggled and I could feel Evan roll his eyes from where I was.

"Marcy is downstairs," he said. Just like that the mood in the room was about as low as the sixth ring of hell. "She's raising a holy terror about you not returning home last night. You need to go and talk to her," Evan told his brother as he turned and left the room. I slid off Eli and flopped on the bed on my back, sighing dramatically. Eli was lying next to me and he turned his head so that we were facing each other.

"Go ahead Eli. I can finish here by myself" I said devilishly to him as I streched. He closed his eyes a second and when he opened them they were two bright red rubies. He ran a hand over my breast, and my nipple responded to him in kind. I arched my back like a cat, hoping he would keep touching me but knowing he needed to get moving.

"Eli, it isn't fair to do that to me without the means or the time to follow through," I told him starkly, trying to diffuse some of the sexual tension. He nodded and as he rose to leave I couldn't help frowning at how quickly he was willing to go. I turned my head the other way so he couldn't see my reaction.

"Hannah," he said to me and I turned my head to look his way. "This was a mistake," he told me softly as he took in my face. "I'm getting married soon, and you are...I mean you're going to be...you will be gone soon," he said trying to grab onto the best excuse he could.

"I'm just human," I told him putting all the troubles of this whole situation in a nicely labeled package for him.

"Yes," he said plainly and he turned to leave.

"I am human, but I also could be yours," I told him honestly knowing in that moment I wanted to be. I would do just about anything for him, but I couldn't make him stay, I couldn't make him choose me. It was the story of my life.

"That's the problem Hannah, because you are human you could never be mine," he said as he walked out the door. I was always good at reading people, I had to be at home in order to survive as long as I did. I knew he was lying to me when he said that. He wanted me just as much as I wanted him, I just hoped he would realize that before it was too late.

Chapter 19

I decided to busy myself with cleaning the room, not thinking it was fair to leave this to the housekeeper. Most of it was easy to clean up, but the syrup that was stuck to the sheets and the headboard proved the hardest to get off. I had taken a painfully cold shower when Eli left, but it didn't seem to help much. I was stripping the bed when there was a knock at the door. I smiled, hoping even through it all that Eli was on the other side of it.

I pulled the door open and found Marcy standing before me. I took a deep breath in and opened the door all the way for her to come in. Thankfully most of the mess from this morning was cleaned up.

"Good evening Marcy, what can I do for you?" I asked her as she came in and sat down, uninvited, with dramatic fashion in the chair closest to the bed. I followed her over and sat in the other one. I had a feeling this was going to be disastrous so I tried to steel myself.

"Let's speak plainly," she told me in an even tone.

"Of course," I said holding out my arm in invitation.

"I see the way you look at Elijah, and I see the way he looks at you," she said matter of fact like to me. I didn't confirm or deny anything, not really knowing what she wanted to accomplish with this little chat.

"We spoke at length after he left here, and he has agreed to stay away from you during the duration of your stay," she told me. I'm sure she noticed the sharp look of shock on my face and that was the cause for her sadistic smile to appear on her face.

"He knows how important this marriage is, how important I am to his future as king. If he married me, in time he can mate with me, which will provide the first royal born heirs this country has ever seen. He can secure his name and lineage through me. He obviously recognized the possibilities and is willing to give it a shot with me, provided that he doesn't so much as breathe in your direction. He agreed," she said and in one phrase shattered the hopes I had for myself.

I could feel my hands shaking at this point, and I pinned them under my legs so that it wouldn't show. This couldn't be happening, what was the point of all this shit only to have it end like this? I looked to her and immediately wished I hadn't. She was grinning like the damned Cheshire cat with a fresh kill hanging from her jaws. I raised my chin and met her stare.

"I'm so sorry it smells like syrup in here, Eli and I made a bit of mess earlier and it doesn't seem to want to clean up so easily," I said sweetly to her pretending to preen some out of my hair. I would go down swinging damn it.

"Yes, he also told me coming in here with you was a mistake," she said and it was impossible for the look of hurt to not cross my face. I turned and looked into the bathroom, not wanting to look at her any longer.

"You look just like Laney, did Evan tell you that?" she asked me. So that was her name.

"Yes he did, but say what you want to me Marcy, then get the fuck out," I told her sharply.

"She was his human wife. When he was turned and disappeared for a while, he never knew she was pregnant. She died giving birth, and so did his son. He's still haunted by it and it's the reason he still employs so many humans, it's the reason why he takes so many humans in his bed. It's the reason he's so attracted to you. Even I can see it, everyone can. It was one of the reasons everyone was talking about you at the party. I don't think one person could tear their eyes off you that night, you looked so much like her it was unnerving," she told me, as she continued to pick at the cracks that were forming on my heart.

"If he wants to mate you so much Marcy, why are you having a marriage ceremony instead of a mating one?" I asked her snidely and I saw her eyes flash for a moment.

"Mating takes time, it takes earning trust and reaching that place. I have no problems waiting for him," he said looking pleased with herself for her answer. It was at that moment I heard the doors crash open, and Evan stood in the doorway looking over both of us like he was checking for injuries.

"You better be able to back that up, because he deserves it. I would wait forever for him if I were in your position, and even then I have a feeling that amount of time would not be enough," I told her ignoring Evan standing in the doorway.

Just as she was about to say something I interrupted her, "Don't worry I'm not looking for the perfect answer from you, we both know I would never outlast your immortality. In either case I'm dying. I have cancer," I told her shocked face with a small and disturbing laugh as I turned towards Evan. "It's what all the medication is for, I'm dying," I told them as the tears welled up in my eyes. They were tears of acceptance for the fate that so clearly was meant for me.

"Hannah," Evan said taking a step towards me. I held up a hand to him to stop.

"Neither of you will tell Eli for good reasons. If you tell him," I said looking to Marcy, "It will only remind him of Laney and he might want to step up and help me, we both know you don't want that. You want him as far away from me as possible, because let me tell you, he was two seconds from taking me on this bed hours ago." Her jaw clenched up but I could tell she believed me.

I turned then to Evan, "If you tell him, it will remind him of Laney, and I know you don't want him to suffer any more than he already is when it comes to humans. Once I answer the council's questions I'm sure I'll be out of here and you won't have to think twice about me." I said my voice sounding tired.

"Now, as much as this has been fun I need a nap. I'll see you both later I'm sure," I said and refused to meet their gazes. A minute later I heard the door shut. I sat that way until the last second, going over and over in my head what I wanted to do. I was no closer to figuring things out than I was earlier. I just felt lost. I looked at the clock and realized I had about ten minutes until the meeting and I ran to the suitcase to get dressed. I threw on a little black jumper the Luci had packed. It was by far the most appropriate thing she had in the whole suitcase. I paired it with the wedges I wore the other day and my old wedding band around my neck. I didn't even bother much with makeup, I just sat in the bathroom and waiting to hear the knock at the door.

When it came time, I rose from the bathroom and walked towards the door, crossing my fingers that it would be Evan and not Eli who came to get me. I don't think I would have handled that well. I opened the door as was relieved to find big Peter standing before me. If I didn't think he would freak out I would have hugged him.

"Hannah," he said politely to me as he held out his arm for me to grab. I took his, grateful for the help down those stairs, my legs were shaking as it was.

"Where are we going Peter?" I inquired as we descended the stairs.

"To Eli's private meeting hall. He has one in the basement of his house," he told me as we reached the front door. He opened it and helped me onto the front porch. We walked the rest of the way in silence, with my heart beating a steady staccato in the still night air.

"Can you hear my heart Peter?" I asked him needing to know how keenly vampires picked up on signs like that.

"I can girl, best try and tone it down," he said with a slight Scottish accent I had never noticed before. I pulled on his arm to stop and I rested my weight on his arm as I closed my eyes. I took some deep breaths in, and tried to focus on the noises all around me. I tried to tune everything out and focus on slowing my breathing, knowing my heart would follow. After a minute I felt much better and I felt Peter give me a squeeze.

"Did you know Laney was my sister?" he asked me just as I had turned to continue walking. I stopped dead in my tracks and stared at him.

"I didn't know that Peter, I'm sorry for your loss," I told him. He waved off my concern with a small smile

"It was too long ago for that but thank ya'. She would have liked you, you're strong but kind. But even with all that, she would have loved you for Eli." I took in his information in silence, unsure as to what I should say next.

"I'm not telling you what to do, but I want to tell you what I think," he said and I felt myself nodding him on.

"Of course Peter," I told him with a genuine smile.

"I think that no one can take something from you without you lettin' them. And if he's what you want, you go down fightin'." I felt my own tears build and took a deep breath and let the words settle in. I had an odd calming effect on me, and felt a piece that had once felt stranded, snap into place deep inside. I squeezed his hand and we continued walking towards Eli's house in a comfortable silence.

We reached the front doors and I felt him stop.

"This is as far as I am instructed to take you," he told me. I didn't like the sound of that. It took me a minute to remember the proper words but they came back to me.

"I request your presence by my side, as my personal guard and counsel," I told him formally, knowing enough about my own clan charters to know I had the right to retain counsel during a hearing.

"I do believe I can agree to that request lassie," he told me with a wink and I felt better about entering this now. He led me into the house and down the first set of stairs. I found Marcy and another woman conversing at the entrance to the meeting hall and I nodded a small hello at her.

"I'm sorry but Peter has to stay upstairs," she said to me. I couldn't believe she would dare test me after everything at Evan's house but here she was, acting a fool.

She has retained me as her private counsel, as is allowed for hearings. Step aside Marcella," he told her as he moved around her.

"It's Marcy," she grumbled under her breath as we passed her. I had to stile a giggle and I noticed Peter was holding back a smile. As we reached the entrance to the chamber I found every pair of eyes turn and look at me. I could tell, with their hearing, that they were all aware of Peter's presence and I oddly felt safer with him at my side. We passed by rows and rows of people, and I had a feeling this was a little bit of a bigger turn out than Eli and Evan were expecting.

He led me up to the front of the room where there were two stand-alone chairs that sat in front of the crowd. I didn't know where the council sat, but I would have to guess they occupied the first rows of chairs we passed earlier. I sat in one and Peter in the other, while I waited for the rest to claim their seats, I tried to focus on keeping my breathing even.

I found Eli in the first row, along with Evan and Ilora. The rest of the seats were occupied by people I didn't know. Ilora gave me a bright smile and Evan was trying his best not to look at me at all. I noticed Eli had is mask firmly in place, I wanted to smack it right off his ridiculously gorgeous head. I wanted the Elijah I had spent time with today, not this robot who only did what he was supposed to.

I heard a voice clear and I looked to Eli who looked like he was about to speak.

"Thank you Hannah for agreeing to speak with us about what happened the other night. If it is okay with you and your...consul we would like to ask you a few questions," he said not looking too happy I brought Peter with me.

"I would be happy to answer any questions you have," I told him in as calm a voice as I could manage while still looking at him. "For a price," I said to him before he had a chance to begin.

"What do you mean for a price," he asked me as he crossed his arms across his chest.

"Everything has a price, you want to know what I know, there is a price for that," I told him calmly. I felt Peter stiffen next to me, probably unsure where I was going with this. I was kind of flying by the seat of pants now, I didn't know what I was really going to do next.

"Say I am willing to indulge you in this, what is your price?" he asked me looking beyond annoyed now, he was crossing right over into anger. I could see his eyes were a deep red color and I tried to take a deep breath before answering.

"Your blood," I told him calmly. I could hear the gasp come from Marcy who was sitting directly behind him in the second row. There were several murmurings from the rest of those present, probably about twenty people were there in all. I looked at Ilora and she was eyeing me with a new suspicion, possibly also with interest but I couldn't tell.

"What would you want with that?" he asked me looking both confused and intrigued.

"To heal me," I told him giving him a vague answer. He swept to my injuries and scars and I was hoping he would assume I was asking to fix those.

"Heal you or to retain your youth?" he asked me warily, knowing humans had always been looking to vampire blood for its benefits. I was trying not to be offended he assumed that's what I was looking for.

"Does it matter?" I asked him back. I didn't want to reveal all my cards now so I had to be careful.

"It is illegal for a vampire to give out their blood Hannah, surely you know that," Ilora said to me with a glint of amusement in her eyes.

"Not for the king, he can choose to bequeath his blood as a gift. Since I have served this seethe well, put myself in harm's way for not just him but also his guests, and am willing to share information, I am hoping you will consider it." The level of quiet chatter in the room escalated so quickly that soon I could barely hear my own thoughts.

"Would you share your information regardless?" Ilora asked me pointedly, her voice raising amongst the others. They all stilled in anticipation of my answer.

"I would," I told them honestly, making eye contact with Eli when I said it. If he didn't take me up on my offer I would still help him out.

"Of course she's lying," I heard Marcy say behind him. I gave her my thousand yard stare.

"I would ask you to leave the room, the council will discuss this and..." Ilora started to say but Eli cut her off.

"I accept," he said loudly, locking his stare with me. "If your information leads to the capture of those responsible, I will abide by your request." I heard Marcy give a small squeak of unbelief and then she spoke to him.

"Eli, we should all discuss this," she told him quietly but he didn't seem to pay her any mind.

"I am king, this my ruling. I would ask only my personal council to stay and we can begin going over the events of the other night," he told everyone in a very different tone than I think I had ever heard him speak in. It was pure command, and not even Marcy spoke a word, as half of the room emptied itself.

"The symbol in the floor during the dream, what was it again?" Ilora asked, frantically taking notes down. I sighed, we had spent the last hour alone on dissecting the contents of my dream. I understood the necessity, even if I did think it was a little exhausting telling it over and over again.

"It was the mascot at my school, a Seminole warrior," I said. Ilora scribbled more notes onto her legal pad looking like a frightened intern, not wanting to miss even a scrap of information.

"There was no sign of anyone else in the room?" a male voice asked. It came from the seat next to Ilora, his name was Nathan and he seemed to be the only other one in the room that didn't openly look at me like I was vermin.

"No one, as soon as I got those doors opened I noticed I was alone," I told him. They exchanged some quiet words with each other, as they had so often during this talk. I had yet to even ask a question of my own, one that I had been anxious to know.

"Did you ever find the two guards that were out front?" I asked Evan. He stilled for a second and looked to Eli. He must have seen something in his face that gave him permission to talk to me about it.

"Yes, one is being held for questioning," he told me. I didn't need to guess where the other one was.

"And the lady?" I asked him hesitantly. Another shared glance between the brothers.

"We did not," he said, continuing to limit my information.

"But you know who she is? Surely if she was a guest someone must know her," I said to him. All conversation stopped and they exchanged some glances.

"Let's get back to the dream and then we can talk about that later," Ilora said, steering the focus back clearly to areas that she wanted.

I was so annoyed at being cut off I just snapped out, "Which one?" I then promptly shut my mouth and searched for a way to cover it up, but everyone had sighted me.

"You've had another one?" Eli asked me pointedly, a bit of accusation in his tone.

"I had one after the werewolf attack."

"That's what I woke you from? You should have told me," he said angrily to me, I saw the brows on Ilora rise considerably and then she gave me a wink. Eli began talking animatedly with Nathan, and it was he who spoke to me next. By the look on Eli's face he wasn't happy about what he was about to bring up.

"You are one of the veil," he said in a questioning tone, a bit of a puzzled look on his face.

"The veil?" I asked trying to wrack my brain, but I didn't think I had ever heard of the phrase before.

"Oh Nathan don't bother the girl with your witch lore," a woman, named Daniella told him sharply waving a dismissing hand.

"It's not witch lore Dani, my seethe had one of our very own. They are quite rare, I haven't heard of one myself for almost a century or two, but they are very valuable." Nathan's eyes skidded over my frame like a customer would ogle a piece of jewelry. It wasn't malicious but it made me uneasy.

"One dream does not constitute her as veiled," Ilora said holding up a finger and eyeing Nathan speculatively.

"No, but she's had another as well. Sometimes gifts such as that don't present until later in life, it's something we need to consider." I could see Eli looking at Nathan too as he spoke, a squint in his eyes as he was trying to discern something.

"There is something special about her," Ilora said in a thoughtful tone, tapping her pen on the paper.

"Would someone like to tell me, you know the person you are talking about, what you mean by veiled?" I didn't mean to sound so caustic but it was starting to give me a headache.

Nathan spoke, much to the dislike of both Eli and Daniella, who rolled their eyes when he began. "The veil refers to the delicate line between this world and what lies beyond. Every so often, someone, usually a supernatural being, is gifted with the ability to see through the veil. I have heard of some that can predict death, some that can get glimpses of the future, and some that dream weave. I believe that is what you are, though if we were meant for death, and you dreamed of that, you may be combining some of the traits. Which would be unheard of." He said the last part with a spark of red in his eyes. He seemed very pleased with the idea.

It seemed to fit, if only when looking back and putting the pieces there. I saw Ilora pull Eli aside, and they were talking privately with each other about something. I took a deep breath in a felt suddenly light headed, the events of the past couple of days were taking their toll on my already fragile body.

"I'm going to get you some food," Peter said.

"Thanks, the more sugar the better. If you can find chocolate I might even kiss you." He laughed and then left.

Ilora broke from Eli and turned to face me, "Would it be possible for you to stay around here for the time being?"

"I suppose that would be fine, on the premise I would get my end of the bargain." Because if I don't, I won't be alive much longer to help you, I told them in my head.

"I agreed to it, it will be done," Eli told me looking offended.

"Oh drop it your highness, I'm tired. I didn't mean it like that." I heard Ilora choke on a laugh.

Eli ran his hand down his face and then approached where I was sitting, kneeling down so that his face was close to mine.

"Would you stay on here, we can go over your premonition, if it is one, and I can protect you. That wolf attack worried me and they may be looking for you now. I will get you the blood at my earliest convenience, if you will stay the next couple of months until the dust clears?" he was using his gentle voice, and I was ashamed to admit I liked it very much.

"I will," I said as I pushed a wayward strand of dark hair out of his eyes. He jerked back at my touch and returned to his seat, leaving a cold breeze in his wake. Peter appeared and sat in his chair, handing me a plate of croissants that were stuffed with chocolate. I sighed and ate all three, devouring the sweet treats with all the enjoyment of a last meal.

Chapter 20

I spent the week or so alternately meeting with Ilora and Nathan, who had taken a particularly strong interest in me, going over my dreams. I had finally adjusted my sleep schedule to be on synch with the seethe, even though I couldn't shake the exhaustion no matter how well I slept. Eli and Evan were sleeping in the house with me, despite several arguments from Marcy who was also staying here as well, for 'security' purposes. I was still having the dream, nothing different just varied versions of the same one. After the fourth night Eli stopped coming in to wake me up when I was screaming, and judging by the shouting match I heard that day, I'm sure Marcy had something to do with it.

This time though, the dream was especially vivid, and ending in a way that rocked me. I must have screamed quite a bit because Eli came tearing in again, to my surprise with Evan on his heels.

"Han, come on it's okay you're safe. It's just a dream," Eli said scooping me up and putting me in his lap, I blinked and looked up at him, tears were streaming down my face and I tried to hide it in his shirt.

"Same one?" he asked and I heard the door close. I was surprised Evan was going to leave me alone with him.

"Same one, you don't have to run in here every evening. It takes me a minute or two but I come out of it fine." He had the hard jaw look, and a stubborn expression.

"I did that the past two nights, I will not endure it again."

"Tonight was no different Eli, go back to bed I'm fine, the sun hasn't even set yet," I said with a yawn.

"You were screaming my name," he told me as he searched my face. Oh wonderful, I turned a deep shade of red and hid my face again in his chest.

"They are getting worse, the same thing but it never turns out well in the end," I said shivering in remembrance. He pulled me closer for a second and then placed me back on the bed and sat wearily on the chair at the end of the room. I felt the loss of his presence like a douse of cold water.

"You sure not saying anything is best, perhaps if you told someone it would be better?" he suggested, but I shook my head.

"It could alter the events, and if you are trying to capture or get information, it might not happen if I interfere. I'll know better when I see it, when something happens I'll let you know. Then you can nail them to the wall and you can put all of this behind you." I didn't say what I wanted which was that once that occurred he could put me behind him, and focus on Marcy.

"On Saturday night we are having a formal dinner, it's something of an engagement party I think. I don't know how to explain having you there so I'm going to have you serve us, to join the wait staff for the evening. If anything happens you come get me or Evan, don't hesitate." He said all of this without looking up, he was rubbing his hand over a spot on his palm.

"That's fine, I understand. How many people know I'm here?" I asked curious.

"Just my personal council, the rest, I must warn you, will recognize you and assume I have taken you as a lover." I thought I saw his eyes flash for a second but he was too far away to tell for sure.

"Sounds plausible, I don't mind. It's a good cover story, plus Marcy looks at me like she wants to drain me dry as it is." I laughed nervously and looked to see his reaction. To my enjoyment I saw him hiding a smile.

"I'm going to be out of town tomorrow for two days, I come back Saturday. Evan and Marcy are going to join me, I have business to attend to in Mexico and they both refuse to allow me to go alone. I was going to have you come with us, if you choose." I sat up straight in bed. Two days in Mexico, where do I sign up?

"I think I can manage two days on the beach Eli, it will be hard though," I said as I put my hand on my forehead and fell back against the pillows trying not to giggle at the thought of a real vacation. Had I ever been on one before, besides my honeymoon? My parents sure as hell never took me.

"We leave tomorrow night, I'll have Evan come and get you when the car comes to take us to the airport."

"Tell me it's a private jet!" I squealed unable to contain the excitement.

"Of course," he said looking confused but amused at my reaction.

"I need a good bikini, and tequila!" I said jumping up on the bed, getting more excited by the minute for this trip. "If I get tequila then I need a good pair of sunglasses, and a big hat, I could go cheesy and get a sombrero. Can someone take me shopping, I can pay myself? If not, I have to choose from Evan's selection, sequins and ruffles aren't exactly me." I sobered up at the last part, trying to mentally calculate how much money I had left to pay for a decent wardrobe.

His attempts at hiding a smile were in vain, it was proudly displayed and it transformed his face. I almost fell back at how gorgeous he looked.

"Evan has some errands to run, he can take you. Don't be late tomorrow, I suggest packing ahead of time." As soon as it graced his face the smile disappeared and the stony hard vampire king replaced his features.

"Yes captain sir," I said giving him that salute I knew he loved to hate.

"I'm serious Hannah, I have legitimate business to attend to there. I can't and won't be slowed down by you." I rolled my eyes, it must get old having to treat everyone like that.

"Fancy a wager, your highness?" I asked him jumping down to land on the ground. He gave no verbal response but lifted his brows.

"If I'm on time, and get to the car before you do, you're mine for one night. Drinking, dancing, swimming, relaxing, the whole lot. Whatever I want to do," I said wagging my brows. He looked for an instant like he wanted to say something, but clamped his jaws and went for the logical response.

"I don't have time for games Hannah, I have enough responsibilities as it is." He looked at me like a child, like an annoyance.

"You have all this fucking immortality and you want to spend it sullen and contemplative. I don't get it, life is to be enjoyed, to be savored. What's the point otherwise? You can live like that if you want, I'll take the bets and laughter and the companionship with pleasure. You drink our blood, I know you can feel it, we are made with the essence of life, and life was meant to be devoured!" I said on a near shout.

"I have drunk enough of you dry to know how it feels, I don't need a lecture from a human on how to live life. I will circle your human existence several times over." It was said by Eli in a tone that was strange, I could swear he didn't want to say it to me.

"That you will Eli, I appreciate the reminder," I told him walking back to the chair and sitting down on it, all the good feelings over the trip evaporated and I placed my head in my hands.

"Hannah," Eli stared to say but I cut him off.

"What do you want from me Eli? You either take what you want, what we both know you want, or stop talking to me. All I can think about is making love to you, to showing you all of me, to taking you inside me, but you make it impossible sometimes. What the hell do you want?" It was a challenge direct and as much as my tired brain could handle. I wanted him so badly it hurt.

"Hey there!" Evan said entering the room carrying a tray of food.

"Evan!" I screamed out to him. He looked at me, and then to Eli and blushed. I glanced at Eli who was still staring at me, almost open mouthed.

"You are to take Hannah shopping, she needs to pick up some things for the trip," Eli said as he walked up to me. He kissed me ever so lightly on the head and then exited the bedroom.

"Hannah," Evan whined.

"I just need to find the right hat Evan," I said as I made my way towards the other end of the store. I had made the most of my trip, sadistically enjoying my little down time, to the dismay of my counterpart.

"I have to be back at the compound at some point before we leave tomorrow night," he said dryly as he followed me down the hall. I was amazed when Evan said they had a contact at the local Neiman Marcus store, and that they agreed open it after hours for some of the seethe if they needed it.

"I haven't taken that long, I could have spent twice as long picking out a good bathing suit if I really wanted. Where's Marcy?" I asked a bit reluctantly, not really wanting to be reunited with her.

"Crafting your voodoo doll and searching the dressing room for a lock of hair." At this I burst out laughing, finally feeling like I was getting to a better place with Evan.

"You give her too much credit. She would much rather just kill me then go through all that trouble," I informed him.

"Eli would never let her touch you," he said to me in a much more serious tone.

"Eli will choose her in the end, it's my fate in life," I mumbled at the end, more to myself than to anyone. I saw Marcy looking around, two large bags hanging from her arms.

"Can you do me a favor?" I asked Evan quickly. "Can you delay Eli when the car comes, just a minute will do?" Evan looked at me appraisingly.

"It's harmless, please?" I begged looking over his head to see Marcy had spotted us.

"Fine, but only if you grab a hat so we can go," he said with a petulant tone.

"Deal," I said reaching around and grabbing a black wide brimmed hat from the rack next to us. I plopped it on my head and looked at my reflection, adding in the wide sunglasses I plucked from the rack earlier.

"Ready?" I head Evan ask Marcy.

"Let's go, I have a meeting tonight with the caterer for the dinner." Marcy was turned and facing Evan, continuing like she had for the entire time into town like I wasn't here at all.

"Are you ready Han?" Evan asked with a hopeful expression.

"Han? You shouldn't let people call you that, it makes you sound like a German shoe maker," Marcy said with a laugh as she turned and walked to the doors.

We exited into the cool night air, I doubted we could get away with this nice weather much longer. The high summer was close on our heels. I climbed into Evan's truck, settling into the back seat as Marcy and Evan took the front two. The in dash navigation made a noise, and it must have meant something because I saw Marcy touch a button on the screen.

"You done?" I heard Eli's voice fill the cab.

"We just finished love, heading back now. Remember the caterer is coming at eleven to go over everything for Saturday," Marcy reminded him.

"Choose what you want, I'm on my way out now," he said and I could almost hear her pout from the back seat. She had opened up her mouth to protest something but it was drowned out by a crash at the end of the truck. The large van that was following us had slammed right into our back, it jerked me forward but I had enough brains to put my seatbelt on, so I didn't go far.

"What was that?" I heard Eli snarl.

"Someone just hit us, I'm sure it was an accident don't worry," Marcy said but her voice held a hint of hesitation. At her words the car did another slam, this time much harder. I could feel Evan put his foot on the pedal, from where I was sitting I could see the speedometer climb.

"Eli, I'm heading home and you need to turn around and head there as well," Evan said as he checked the rear view mirror at the large van behind us.

"Where are you?" Eli asked.

"We are about two miles north on Route Nine," Evan said, flicking his fingers on the screen to pull up the navigation. "We should be at the seethe gates in ten minutes, maybe nine if I decide to punch it." As soon as the words left his mouth the van had accelerated next to us, using the front end to bump our tail at an angle.

"Don't even think about it," Evan said when he heard a sort of growl come from Eli.

"I'm about a mile west of you, I should be to you in a minute."

"God damn it Eli, get the hell back to the gates. I can handle this." I could see his eyes were bright red, and he and Marcy both looked like their fangs had come out.

"See you soon brother, I'll swing round the back and see if I can run him off." Eli said, unfazed by his brothers worries.

"It's all your fault," Marcy said looking back and hissing at me, like some kind of pissed of cat. I would have laughed if the situation were any different.

"Leave it alone Marcy, you're not helping," Evan said trying to focus on keeping the vehicle on the road.

"If we didn't have her in this car he wouldn't be coming to help. We can survive a high speed chase," she said with a smugness that made my blood boil. I would love to get into it with her, but the thought of my imminent death at Evan's distraction kept me silent.

The van did another jerk to the side and it took Evan a good couple of tries to keep us on the road. I was beginning to get very concerned at this point, the dash said we were going at least over one hundred and twenty and if we crashed now there was little hope of me coming out unscathed. I turned to glance a look behind and I gasped at the same time Marcy did.

Eli was standing on the roof of the van behind us, he had one clawed hand steadying him in the roof and the other had reached in and pulled the passenger out of the van. He swiftly threw him to the side of the road, and replaced himself into his seat. I couldn't see with my human eyes what he was doing, but less than ten seconds later both the truck and the van were slowing down.

"Stay down, and stay here," Evan said to me as he and Marcy left the truck. I didn't need to be told twice. After several moments, I carefully peaked through the back window. I found all three of them in a heated debate of which I could hear none of. I saw the body of one person on the ground at the feel of Eli, his face and hands were covered in blood, and it didn't take a genius to figure out who it belonged to. I slumped back down in the seat, feeling like Mexico couldn't come fast enough.

"You okay?" Evan asked as he climbed into the truck.

"I'm fine, how's Eli?" I asked him sitting up straighter now and breathing a sigh when noticed Marcy wasn't with him.

"Eli? He's fine, how about asking about those two wolves that we caught?" he said turning in his seat and skewering me with his eyes.

"You mean the ones that were clearly here to hurt me? No it wouldn't be anyone I know, they aren't that stupid or careless. If you want I can smell them, I'll know for sure then." He continued his appraisal of me, shaking his head and then starting the truck to head back.

"Do you know who it was?" I asked, jumping to the front seat as he drove away. I didn't like being stuck in the back like a child. Evan gave me a sidelong glance and then shook his head.

"We don't have any dealings with the werewolves in the area, Eli has never been...amiable to discussions so we have very little contact with them. I didn't recognize them, and the van and its contents were pretty minimal. I doubt it was even theirs but I can run the plates and stuff when I get back. I have to say it Hannah, god help me, but if you are behind any of this I won't give you the pleasure of a quick death." I let out a humorless laugh.

"You know it's not me, but you also don't know who is behind this so you are sticking with me. Which, you can continue to do if it makes you feel better, but you won't get close to answers if you do. I'm no more of a threat than you are." The truck squealed to a halt on the road and swerved to the side. He pulled the keys out of the ignition and flung the door open and left the me in the truck.

I sat back, looking out the windows and mirrors. I turned around again and found him sitting on the edge of the truck bed, head hanging down. I exited my own door and came around to sit with him, not really knowing if he would allow me to but I took a chance.

"You show up one night, the same night as the fire. You get attacked by wolves the second we leave our premises, you have these dreams...you are a maybe wolf. There is nothing about you that makes sense Hannah, I can't ignore the circumstances of you being here when all of this is going down. We haven't had this much action around here in a hundred years or so, yet you show up and it's open season." He laid back on the truck bed, closing his eyes. I mimicked him and laid down next to him, taking a second to enjoy the sky.

"It does sound bad like that," I told him. "Eli's lucky to have you. You would make any beta proud." I said patting his hand and then putting my arms behind my head. I flinched when my shoulder turned a certain way.

"Your arm bothering you?" Evan asked when he noticed my grimace.

"Yeah, it's okay though. If I can help you get down to the bottom of this I get some blood and hopefully I can get better, get whole." I had debated on telling him but I saw no real reason not to, he must have figured it out already. I saw Evan whip his head towards me, resting on one elbow to look down at me.

"I thought you wanted something to ease your pain, or to prolong your life," he said an ashen pallor was on his face.

"Well that would be nice, but I'll settle for a cure," I said with a small laugh, not liking where the conversation was heading.

"That's what you want it for? Hannah it won't work." I felt my head swim but I jumped down from the truck bed to stare at Evan.

"What do you mean?" I asked, almost yelling it at him.

"Vampire blood can cure superficial wounds, even fatal wounds if they were inflicted shortly before the infusion, but it does nothing to disease. It can't cure you, that was a rumor that started back in Europe but it's never been done. There was a European lord way from long ago that had a sick mistress. He was so in love with her he gave her his blood, but she still died. Then he turned her and that's how the rumors got started. Since then in all the times it has been attempted, which hasn't been often, it has never worked." I fell to my knees on the side of the road, feeling the gravel chew up skin. I leaned forward and threw up, feeling for all the world like I had no hope left.

"Hannah," Evan started to say but I held out a hand.

"Give me a minute," I said closing my eyes and trying to breathe deeply enough for my head to stop spinning. I realized some traitorous tears were falling down my face and dripping into the puddle under my hands. Despite my protest Evan picked me up and placed me back into the truck bed.

"Hannah, I didn't know you wanted it for that. I would have told you before the other night, it's just..." he trailed off, I knew where he was going. I laid back and he did the same.

"Impossible, I know, it seems like the universe is giving me some kind of message," I said staring up at the sky and giving it the middle finger. I could hear his silent laugh shake the truck.

"It would prolong your death, how much time you would get I'm not sure." He sounded uncomfortable and I didn't want him to feel that way about it.

"It's okay Evan, I've been sick for a while. I just need to come to terms with things again, I've had to do it before."

"Wait, your husband...um ex-husband. He left you for another woman when you were sick?" he asked sounding shocked as he put the pieces together.

"He was a werewolf Evan, he found his mate. We were at a point in our relationship that wasn't good, and then he met her. It was a mess, it was destruction all around, and it took me a long time to get to a place that was healthy."

"You better not tell Eli who he is, or that story, or he'll kill him," Evan said plainly.

"He'll be married and I'll be dead soon, a blink of the eye in his life." I was being dramatic but it was what I felt, I felt Evan reach over and squeeze my hand.

"I think you underestimate him, and what he feels for you," he said. If he could see my eye roll now, it was a good one.

"I think there is a difference in what someone feels and what someone chooses to do." I let that comment hang in the air for a while, he made no attempt to speak back.

"You should take me back Evan, before Marcy assumes you have killed me and throws a party," I told him dryly.

"Take you back, you don't want to be taken home? I told you the blood won't work," he said confusion spread over his face.

"I told you all I would help out, I don't go back on my word. You are worth helping, vampire or not. Plus there is nothing to go back to, I won't put the people that care about me through seeing me disappear before their eyes. I love them enough to let them go." I got up and hopped down, shaking the gravel out of my legs and hands and feeling a strange peace settle on me. Evan wasn't moving, just looking at me with a strange expression.

"Stop looking at me like that Evan, I get a trip to Mexico and a vial of bona-fide vampire blood as a souvenir!" I said sarcastically like a TV spokesperson.

"I'm serious Hannah, it won't work, so if you're just sticking..." Evan said but I had heard enough.

"Evan, let it go. He's worth it, I'm not sure how I know that but I just do. I know I'm meant to be here, even my subconscious is telling me that, the dreams keep coming." I had begun, this last week to really feel it too, like I was just where I needed to be. Evan gave me a tight nod and then came over to look at my knees.

"They look okay, you want a bandage? I think I have one in the truck."

"No, I'm fine. Let's go, what if Marcy needs help with the caterer?" I asked finally managing to get Evan to crack a smile.

Chapter 21

I was floating near the end of the pool, I had grabbed a large float and was lazily running my hands in the water as I looked up to stare at the sky. The water was cool, and the warm breeze from the air was a nice contrast. I could lounge in a pool all day and not complain once.

After we had gotten back, Evan retreated to his rooms and me to mine. I looked over everything I needed to do, and decided to swim, because I hated packing and I needed some relaxation after what had happened tonight. I put on the most ridiculous suit I could find, a hot pink number with rhinestones on it and lace, and headed out for a little exploration.

The pool house had been boarded up, but the side door was still usable so I entered through there. I tip toed around the front, looking and looking for the prize. I almost did a happy dance when I saw the box attached to the wall. A sound system, finally. Of course he had satellite radio, and I perused through the choices until I reached the 90's Rap station. I threw my fist in the air as a show of victory, and cranked it up.

I walked out to the pool and thought about what Evan had told me tonight. I tried not to dwell on it too much, but everything I had been planning here had been smashed to pieces by his revelation. I think the reason why I was taking it so well was because there was a large part of me that knew, in the back of my mind, that this was the probable outcome. I had followed Gray and Jameson's plan, let them convince me of something that was in actuality, impossible. I didn't regret it, I would have certainly regretted it more had I not tried, but the sting of defeat hit me regardless.

I let the eventuality of everything settle over me, and I once again vowed to help out Eli and Evan as best I could. What happened to them the night of his party was wrong, at least in the wolf clan challenges were made in the open, allowing for transparency and accountability. What happened to Eli was deceitful and secretive, and that didn't sit right with me. Plus using my new gift gave me a purpose, and it allowed me to explore things with Eli, who I had to admit intrigued me to no end. We had something, something almost magnetic, I could feel it in my bones when I was near him. I had a feeling he did too, but with his impending marriage I didn't know how much he would explore it.

Now, here I was floating across the water and singing my heart out to some Snoop Dog. I took a breath to sing another verse when I was splashed with water. I looked up and saw Evan, Ilora, and Peter standing before me.

"I have to go over there and discuss some things for the trip tomorrow and what happened tonight. You are welcome to come or stay, it's up to you." I had never been invited over to Eli's house before, not once this past week, everyone that wished to speak with me came here so I was tempted.

"No, I'm going to stay out here for a while and then pack. Don't worry I'll guard your property while you're gone. I'm a good shot," I told him wagging my eyebrows and making a gun draw motion like the Wild West.

"How did a little thing like you learn to shoot so well, by the way," Ilora asked. I wasn't sure if this was an interrogation or just friendly chatter. I figured I didn't have much to lose at this point, and I wanted to get back to being my old self. The one that grabbed life by the horns, and didn't apologize or calculate every last thing.

"I had two friends who wanted to make sure I could defend myself, which I had to do more often than I imagined," I said thinking back to those times.

"Why would you have to shoot people?" Ilora asked horrified.

"Oh my parents were werewolves, I grew up with my wolf clan," I said waving my hand and singing about gin and juice.

"Evan," Ilora spat out through clenched teeth. I held up my hand not wanting to ruin everyone's night.

"Oh not you too Ilora, I'm just a regular old human. Nothing to worry about, I couldn't shoot you all fast enough to do real damage. It works on the wolves because I know just where to shoot. I learned the hard way on that one," I said rubbing the spot on the back of my shoulder where the whip mark still felt hot to the touch.

"Your clan attacked you?" Evan asked. I closed my eyes and gave it to them straight.

"No I just had a few of the older males that thought they could use me as a chew toy. The ones that didn't want me for that wanted me for...other reasons. I had friends that helped but they couldn't be with me every night, especially when my parents forbade me to leave. They usually locked me in part of the house, but everyone in our community knew that, so it didn't help.

"One night I missed, he was an especially nasty thing I could barely hold off, and he told my father I had attacked him for taking another female to bed. I got about ten or fifteen lashes for that one. I learned to hit my mark after that night, the dead can't tell lies." I was just about to open my eyes and talk when a thought came to me.

"You know, all these years I was told you were the vicious ones, the unnatural necromantic slime of the night. They told us you preyed on the innocent, slaying people for their blood and leaving them to die. Those aren't my words mind you, but now I'm thinking daddy dearest was lying again. I see some real good amongst you, you've taken me in and offered me protection, and it is more than I could have hoped for." I kept singing the song until I realized the music was off and something seemed wrong.

"They did that kind of thing to you often?" Eli said and I snapped my eyes open, almost falling off the float his voice startled me so much.

"My god, you scared the living hell out of me Elijah. Your brother was nice enough to splash me and tell me he was standing there." I got down off the float, less gracefully than I may have wanted, and saw him standing in all his royal glory in front of Evan, Ilora, and Peter, who all looked at me with serious expressions.

"I asked you a question," he spat out, looking furious.

"Did my parents let them, or did they really whip me?" I asked rhetorically. Eli didn't elaborate so I just kept talking.

"Yes on all counts." Eli was still standing there, dressed in a suit now and I was curious when and why he changed.

"Why are you so dressed up?" I asked him as I swam a bit over to where they were standing.

"I have guests in the house," he said mysteriously. I didn't get a chance to say more as Evan pulled him aside and talked with him towards the side of the pool.

"Care to join me?" I asked Ilora and Peter, who gave me a small smile but shook his head.

"I will," Ilora said, surprising the hell out of me by agreeing.

"Really?" I said, feeling like it was a trick of some kind.

"I can't stand it over there, Marcella going on and on about wedding plans. Those bloody friends of her fussing around her like she's some celebrity. Can I bring a few friends over here, they are about at their limit as well?" I'm sure I looked stupid with my mouth hanging open but I managed to catch it in time to answer.

"That's fine, I could use some good times around here." Ilora didn't even acknowledge me, or ask for a suit to borrow, she just strolled off towards Eli's house with nary a word.

"Where did Ilora go?" Evan asked as the brothers made their way towards me.

"She was looking for some friends, I may have invited them to my pool party?" I half answered, half asked in reply. I saw Evan laugh out loud and shake his head, which I took as a bad sign.

"Oh now I have to stay, there's not missing a party with Ilora," he said smiling something boyish at the idea.

"And you, your majesty, will you be gracing us with your presence?" I asked him teasingly.

"I have to get back," he said with little inflection or emotion.

"Ilora said Marcy is over there with her friends, you should leave the women to it. Come on, just for a while?" I asked, looking over my shoulder and trying to get Evan to see the hint and push him in. Evan just kept eyeing me, and his brother with an interesting look on his face.

"I'll go get Hilda to bring the roll bar out, and we can make a real party of it. She's right it's been too long," Evan said as he strolled off towards his house, with Peter in tow. I looked around and realized it was just me and Eli.

"There are some suits in the pool house, hey how did you turn off the radio? I was jamming," I told him and saw his smile tip up just the smallest bit on one side.

"I have some things to do, perhaps later," he said as he turned towards his house.

"The radio!" I called out to him, and like a miracle it picked up right where it left off.

There was no doubt about it at this point, we had a full on vampire party going on here. Almost everyone except for Marcy and her friends, were all crowded into the pool at Evan's. It was quite the sight, everyone that could borrow a suit did, and when we ran out the rest went in their underwear with little hesitation.

"And this is the plains representative, Jeremy, he has Cherokee blood in him. He's delicious looking, yeah?" Ilora said as she and Evan were taking me around to meet everyone. I'm sure I was being talking about quite a bit, those that didn't think I was Evan's mistress were sure I was Eli's, though he made no attempt to come over this way as we went about.

"Jer, it's so great to see you. Thanks for coming," Ilora said with a sweet voice as we reached where he was standing.

"Anytime Ilora, I have always been loyal to his highness. I come when called," he said with a strange accent. Cherokee blood or pure Cherokee I wondered?

"And who is this?" he asked, leaning forward to grasp my hand.

"Hannah," I said a little breathless, mainly from the three drinks I had consumed and denying completely is was because he was a gorgeous, almost unbelievably handsome man. I heard an odd noise and then Evan stepped in front of me.

"She is not on the menu, sad to say she is taken. Would you like some blood, we have some in the walk in downstairs, I can have them brought up." I heard him say as he led Jeremy to the back of the house.

"It's the rhinestones," Ilora whispered to me pointing towards my swimsuit. I threw my head back and laughed, feeling my eyes well up with tears as I couldn't stop.

"Yours isn't' much better," I said to her gesturing towards her own. It was turquoise and had waves in very strategic places all over it. She looked like the queen of the ocean in it with her striking Nordic features.

"That's the third person to do that Ilora, maybe I should go inside. I don't want to cause a problem." I really was getting concerned, the old insecurities of being unprotected in my clan were coming back to me.

"No, once Eli comes here it will stop. Most here think you are his, so they are waiting for him to show." Ilora flagged down a passing server and grabbed two more drinks from the top.

"He won't come," I told her shaking my head, knowing he would stay away from me.

"Oh he will, or I'll drag him here myself," she said through a clenched jaw.

"No, Marcy told me she threw down the gauntlet. She said if he wanted to marry her he had to stay away from me, and he said he would." I took a long sip of my drink and noticed I couldn't quite feel my teeth. We were walking along at that point but when I said that I noticed that Ilora had stopped walking.

"She said that to you?" she asked me with a confused expression.

"Yup, she's really a piece of work. Eli needs someone who lets him free, what's the point of mating if you hold the other one back. Eternity is long time with someone who wants to change you, make you less than what you are. Eli couldn't be less if someone cut half of him off." I blushed a little during my rant, and looked to find my newfound friend smiling back at me.

"Too right Hannah," she said looking a bit lost in thought.

"Ilora?" I asked after a minute when she didn't move.

"Sorry love, let's keep showing you off to everyone." I sighed and pulled her towards the water.

"Let's swim," I said to her with a whine, if I had to meet another vampire I was going to scream.

"I don't swim, I have a reputation to uphold after all," Ilora said standing straight and fixing her hair.

"Hey is that your earring down there?" I asked pointing towards the edge of the pool. When she bent over I pushed her in, she splashed in the water and looked up to me with a devious expression.

"You little twat! You get in here this instant with me!" she yelled out to me. I thought what the hell, and did a cannonball in near her. I came up from the water only to see Ilora looking behind me, a satisfied expression on her face when she spotted something, or someone.

I spun around and saw Eli standing there, in a dark blue swimsuit and displaying his bare chest. I had to steady my feet at the sight, he looked like a god in that moment.

"Only you Ilora, could pull this off," he said with a slight smile gesturing around. I kicked Ilora's foot and made a pushing motion under the water, and before I could see her move I felt the splash of Eli as he was pushed into the water.

Eli came up out of the water, scowling behind him, and made his way over to me. I noticed that oddly Ilora hadn't joined us in the pool, and suspected that was by design. There was chatter everywhere, people were swimming or standing on the side and talking, but I had the odd sense that everyone's eyes were on us.

"She's something huh?" I said, meaning his maker.

"Yes, she is one of a kind," he said, coming to rest near me but not too close. The urge to reach out and touch him was so strong I almost couldn't help myself.

"How are you?" I asked, getting a feeling from him that something was bothering him.

"Why do you always ask about me? It's you that someone should be worried about, running around this party like a lamb at a wolf meeting." He made a noise that sounded like a chuckle but the noise around us was too loud to discern.

"Hardly, between your maker and your brother I was well protected. In fact Evan was just escorting Jeremy off after clicking his fangs at me." I winced as it left my mouth, it was probably the wrong time to bring it up but my liquid courage had my mouth running unchecked.

"Yes, perhaps I should go and see how he's doing," he hissed and made a move to go around me. I placed my hand on his arm just as he was about to pass me. He stopped and stared at me, looking from my hand to my face like I had shocked him.

"Don't go, just stay here with me." He turned to me, not advancing towards the house, and I released the breath I didn't know I was holding.

"I can't stay long, I have to get back," he said moving a bit closer to me. I sucked in a breath when I looked at his eyes, which were now swirling red in a magnificent pattern. It looked like lust and pain, which seemed to be the undertone of our whole relationship.

"Yes I know, but just this is enough for now," I said allowing some of the alcohol to speak for me what I wouldn't normally. I moved my hand from where it was on his arm to hold his hand under the water. He gripped my own back, running his thumb over my knuckles. I moved us over to where the some steps were and we sat down, still locking by the hands, and relaxed into the wall behind us.

A few moments later I felt him place me in front of him, pulling my lap onto the step below his, and I relaxed my back into his front. I could feel some people notice what we were doing, but no one dared look at us long enough. He placed his head on top of my own, his chin resting on the crown of my head. I weaved my hands through the back of his knees and felt a steady calm come over me. It felt like home here, or like home is supposed to feel, safe and content and protected.

We sat like that for a while, occasionally he would kiss my cheek or the top of my head, and I would place one to his knee or to his hand. It was intimate, and I was trying to save up the memories of this for when I would really need them. I had a feeling lately of the end coming, of the steady decline of both my life here and my life in general.

I was playing with the bottoms of his calves, running my hands up and down the muscle from the back of his knee to his Achilles, when I felt his body tense. I had a good feeling who it was, and I did what I thought was needed moving to stand a few feet away from him. Eli gave me a look, it was raw and lustful, and I had to look away from it before I did something really stupid, like jump him right there. I gave him a smile and then swam to other end of the pool. The vampires were clearing a space for me, some even giving me what looked to be genuine greetings. Whatever they thought of me, the presence of Eli here had sharpened their manners.

As I passed through a large group I saw Ilora at the other end, in a heated exchange with Evan. I didn't even see him get back from the house, but I was in my own bubble with Eli, I doubted I would have noticed much. They must have sensed me because they stopped talking when I got close.

"I'm heading in," I said with a really big yawn. Everything tonight collided with the drinks in my system, and I was crashing hard. They exchanged a glance and then Evan nodded to me.

"Goodnight Hannah, and have fun on your trip. I'm sure it will be memorable," she said with a mysterious wink.

"Okay..." I said waving to them as I swam towards the steps. I walked to my chair and grabbed my towel, running it over my legs and arms so I wouldn't drip all over Evan's floor. I wrapped it over my arm, wanting to wait until I got closer to throw it around me, when someone appeared in my path. I looked up and found Jeremy standing before me.

"I wanted to apologize for earlier, it was bad manners and I wasn't aware the Drake's had claimed you. Well, I guess with Ilora flaunting you around, and that fact the Evan never took his eyes off you it should have been clear. I just wanted to let you know if you ever feel like not wasting your time on them I would love to offer my own seethe as a possible home for you," he said as he appraised my body with hope.

"Oh...well that's very nice but I'm afraid I'm happy where I am," I stammered out, feeling a little cornered.

"Happy? To be a blood slave to the Drake's? Eli is about to be married, and Evan will never settle down long enough to consider him as a long term solution," he said stepping in closer to where I was standing, a look of confusion on his face. My inner alarm bells were ringing off in succession with each comment.

"I'm not staying for long, I'll be leaving soon. But I really am flattered," I said backing up a little bit. He wasn't advancing just standing there like he was examining me.

"They aren't just going to let you leave child. There are whispers that say you are veiled, and if that is true you will remain here until your last days. Eli and Evan would never let a gift like that go, you're foolish to think otherwise." It wasn't said with malicious intent but it offended me all the same.

"I choose what to do, and I choose to stay here, for however long that is. For you, or anyone else, to suggest I would be foolish in this, does not know me or my character. I appreciate your sentiment but it's wasted, and if you want to remain intact I would suggest stepping back." I tried to infuse every ounce of confidence I possessed into the phrase, hoping it would have an effect on him. He took a few steps back, almost shaking himself out of a sort of trance. He held his hands up in peace.

"I mean no harm to you Hannah, I simply wanted to give you options." I was surprised to find he seemed to be sincere, and I had to remember that they spoke and acted far outside of what I was familiar with.

"That's okay it's been a hell of a week." I sighed shaking out my hair, and noticing how very tired I felt.

"It can't be easy with Marcella here," he said grimacing for me. I let out a small laugh and felt some of the earlier tension leave.

"She is not my biggest fan," I admitted redundantly. Anyone with two eyes could see she openly hated me.

"Well, she finally got Eli to agree to this engagement, so I suppose she isn't too happy about someone coming in and garnering his attentions. She always has been a cruel woman, I hate to see this put upon him," Jeremy said. I, and suspected many others, shared his concerns.

"How long has she been chasing him?" I asked curious for more information.

"Oh a good century. Her father has known Eli even before he first immigrated to the US. They were rivals in Europe and later in their holdings in South America, but with the distance they are allies, if not reluctant ones." I found this very interesting, and since my companion was so willing to share I tried to dig for more gold.

"Isn't her family close with the shifters? I heard a rumor that they often visited, that doesn't seem to match up with most vampire temperaments around here?" I asked trying to seem unconcerned or only slightly interested.

"Oh no, they despise the wolves as well as the rest of us. I haven't heard that rumor, but with Marcy's charming personality there are bound to be ridiculous theories circulating. I know he wouldn't marry her if she was in dealings with the wolves, especially in this area. I think that the Porter clan runs a territory a little ways from here, and I can tell you that there is no love lost between the two. He tried to kill Eli some time ago, something about a territory dispute a good century ago, he killed a good number of Eli's personal guard and I heard Evan's mate was also killed." I had to sit down, the blood I could feel drained from my face and my head felt suddenly disengaged from the rest of my body. This couldn't be, surely the universe wasn't that cruel. Sins of the father, huh?

"Are you okay?" Jeremy asked, sitting swiftly next to me and putting a hand under my chin to get a good look at me.

"It's just awful to hear, I can't imagine it." I said my true meaning I kept to myself.

"We, well, those of us blessed with this long life, can become vicious the longer we remain here. Grudges and family feuds take on a new meaning, exacting revenge becomes a call we feel we must answer. It has led to many innocents caught in the fray, and if you want to know, I would never expose you to the dangers you have faced here already. If you were mine no one would touch you," he said, once again regaining his slightly creepy vibe. It was flattering and concerning in equal parts, the attention was making me far from comfortable.

"I appreciate your concern." I said non committedly. I didn't want to encourage him but I was also fearful of rejecting him as well.

"I'll be here until the wedding, if you change your mind and want to talk to me, even just to get to know one another, feel free to contact me. Ilora can reach me if I'm not in the compound." He took another step back clearing the path for me to pass. I carefully stepped into the pocket he created for me and walked past him. I felt someone in that moment next to me, and I almost tripped when I realized it was Eli.

"Jeremy, I see you have met Hannah." Eli's voice sounded like a calm kind of scary.

"Yes, she is quite interesting. We were just discussing your upcoming wedding. What's the countdown now?" Jeremy asked with a jovial air about him. It was a jab, and one that was barely concealed.

"Next month." Eli was standing right next to me, close enough for most of our bodies to be touching. I had a feeling he was going to just piss on me next to make his point clear.

"Well, it was nice to meet you Hannah. Care to join me for a meal when you wake?" he asked boldly. If it was possible for Eli to stiffen any more he sure gave it a go.

"Hannah and I are going to Mexico for a few days, we leave first thing," he said and I whipped my head around to him.

"He means that Marcy, Evan, and I will be accompanying him on a business trip. I have never been there you see." I was trying to make it seem less intimate, but Eli was determined to get his message across.

"Actually, Ilora has informed Marcy of some setbacks in the wedding planning that need her immediate attention. Evan has agreed to stay and guard her here." I had to rest my back against Eli's side when I realized what he was saying. Gods, how was I going to get through this in one piece?

"Well, perhaps when you get back. You know where to reach me Hannah, have a nice trip. I'm sure it will be an exciting first time," Jeremy said as he kissed my hand and left us standing there. I tuned my rage on the king.

"This is the point, Elijah, were I deliver my line about not appreciating being treated like a play thing. You either want me, or you choose not to act on what we both know is there, and leave me the hell alone. I won't go back and forth, and I won't pant after you. My life is finite, unlike yours, and I will live it with everything I have, with every part of me, soul and body. Keep up or leave me here, I won't allow your petty jealousy control who I talk to, unless you want to make a stronger claim that would make it inappropriate for me to do so." I raised my chin and met his gaze, willing him with my eyes to do something.

"Don't be late Hannah, the car will be waiting for us by eight." he said with a wry smirk and then he left me standing there, staring after his retreating form and thinking I was in for one hell of a trip.

Chapter 22

I was sitting waiting in the car the next evening, running a hand over my face and trying to ease the headache that was stubbornly hanging on. Only sheer determination kept me going enough to get to the car service on time, I wasn't sure what I had packed, I could have everything covered or I could only have bikini tops with no bottoms. It was that kind of day for me.

I heard Eli and Evan outside of the car talking, and the windows must have been tinted enough that he couldn't yet see me.

"Have a good trip," Evan said with the smallest of winks in my direction. He must have come through for me and distracted Eli enough for me to get to the car before him.

"Have you seen Hannah, we need to leave within the next ten minutes? No matter I'll just go in and get her." I took this as my dramatic cue and I rolled down the window in the town car.

"I'm here your highness, right on time. You must have had a rough night but that doesn't excuse holding me up. I've been sitting here for a whole fifteen minutes already." I gave him my best fake scowl while winking back at Evan, who was holding back a laugh.

"How did you get here before me? You little punk," he said lunging for Evan. "You were supposed to detain her, not help her get out here before me. I'm your brother, isn't it supposed to be bro's before..."

"You finish that sentence Elijah and you might find something other than a worm in your tequila," I said trying for menacing but I was still smiling at the playfulness he was displaying. The two of them gave each other a hug and then Evan stepped back to allow Eli to enter the car.

"Have fun kids, but not too much fun," he amended and we pulled away into the night.

Almost as soon as the door closed behind him all the warm memories of watching him joke with his brother were gone. I saw his mask slip back into place as the car drove away from the curb, it was like watching a shadow take over his features, obscuring the bright light I knew he kept contained.

"Are you worried about leaving them here?" I asked.

"I have too many worries at the moment, listing them would take a while," he said as he rested his head back against the seat and closed his eyes. I felt the sudden need and desire to comfort him, but I wavered as my hand reached out for his. He could run so hot and cold at times, and I wasn't at all sure what kind of mood he was in now.

"Would you like to tell me what this trip is all about?" Perhaps if I could get him talking he would open up a little.

"Oh it's all very boring stuff, the Mexican vampire leader took the throne about two months ago and I have been putting off the official visit. He sent word he would not be attending the wedding and he insisted I visit so he could give me his regards in person." I couldn't gleam from either his tone or his face how he felt about him.

"Well that seems kind of him, if not a bit rude to demand you see him so close to the wedding," I informed him.

"Diego is nothing if not oblivious to timing. He is impulsive but kind, for the most part he comes off rude because he can be socially awkward. He means no offense it's just the way he is. We knew each other when we were newly made." He gave a small smile in the description of Diego, so I was going under the assumption he had some fond feelings for him at least. We lapsed into silence for a while as we drove, I wasn't sure how long it was going to be until we reached the airspace.

It didn't take long, a scarce ten minutes before we reached the small airfield. The car pulled up onto the runway, the bright lights of the small plane on display like a show horse on the tar mac.

"You don't like it?" Eli asked me, noticing the grimace on my face.

"It's a bit small, no?" I responded, swallowing the lump down that was rising in my throat. I didn't mind flying, but this brought on some of my closterphobic tendencies.

"It's safe, and it's fast," he said smiling like men do when discussing their toys. I took another long swallow, adjusting the large hat I was wearing and clutching my bag tighter to me. I had enough anxiety meds to last the flight, but I knew it would draw attention to the fact I still had to take them. It was either that or throw up on Eli, which wasn't going to make for a good start to this trip. "I promise you, I will safely get us there," he said, bringing me back to reality as he placed his hand on my cheek, looking down on me with a startlingly tender expression.

"Wait, you? You're flying the plane?" I asked, feeling oddly better about it.

"Yes, I have more flight hours than anyone on planet earth so you are in safe hands, I'll never let anything happen to you," he told me, turning and getting our bags from the driver. I had the odd wonderment of wanting to believe him, and the realization that I was going to have to tell him about the cancer soon. I was starting not to feel right keeping him in the dark.

I followed him into the small plane, noticing a young woman who was impeccably dressed and standing at the rear of the plane. She was so pretty, I thought wherever the dug her up from should be the recruiting grounds for the major airline. Ticket sales would skyrocket.

"This is Natalie, she is going to be your attendant for the flight. It will only take us a few hours to get there, so make yourself comfortable," Eli said, bending down to kiss my forehead as he went to the cockpit, nosily checking things and speaking into the radio. I looked back to Natalie, who was sneering at me already. Great, what were the odds Marcy placed her here on purpose? She stood at the back, alternately staring at me and getting things ready. After a good half hour, of which I sat back and closed my eyes, trying to imagine myself in a larger plane, she approached me again.

"Sit and buckle, it's time for takeoff," she snapped, closing the door to the plane and sitting once again in the back. I gave her a blinding smile and a thank you in return, knowing it would piss her off more, and hoping she wasn't here to throw me off the plane at thirty thousand feet.

I awoke a little while later, finally breaking down earlier to take some pills when our rocky ascent had me about to do something embarrassing. I looked behind and got another sneer from Natalie, so I decided to chance it and get up to see what Eli was doing. I knocked on the door to the cockpit, and after a grunt in response I opened the door to enter.

"You doing okay Hannah?" Eli asked as he held his hand out to guide me into the seat next to him.

"I'm fine," I said, smiling when he kept my hand. I curled around in the seat, feeling satisfied like a cat in the sun. This area of the plane looked so foreign, like a spaceship with its large glass windows and blinking instruments all around us.

"You slept then?" Eli asked when he caught me yawning. I nodded, nestling further into the chair and looking at his strong profile, adeptly flying the plane.

"I should have sat here earlier, it would have made me feel better. You look so commanding up here like this, so competent and handsome. Some people are born to be king, and you are one of them," I said with another yawn. He looked at me, surprise gracing his eyes at my compliment.

"We have a clear night ahead of us, stay up here," he offered, touching some buttons so that he could strap me into my seat. He leaned down after he was done, throwing a blanket over me and brushing a kiss over my head as he made his way back to his own chair. His protective and soft nature would have made him such a catch, and the thought of him as a husband sent a powerful feeling of sadness run through me.

"Tell me about her," I asked softly, wondering if he would open up enough to talk about it. His jaw clenched but didn't say a word. "You know everyone tells me I look like her, I'm not looking for your story with her. That's been handled and dissected by enough people I'm sure, tell me about _her_," I implored, knowing there was a difference between wanting to know what happened and wanting to know about his wife.

"Laney was spectacularly beautiful and uncommonly shy," he started saying, his tone and mood seemed far from angry now, and I relaxed back to listen. "Her father and my mother knew one another through the marketplace. My mother sold soaps she made and her father sold meat. Mother would bring Evan and me along with her sometimes, and I knew Laney and Peter since we were very young. I fell in love with her as a child, and grew to love her over the years," he said with a note of sadness when he said it.

"So you met her when you weren't yet a vampire," I said, knowing that already but not wanting Peter to get into any trouble for speaking with me about her.

"No, I wasn't turned until Ilora found me close to death shortly before my seventeenth year, not two months before I had married Laney. We had just built our small house on her father's land, and I was outside working on the water mill that was stuck. She was traveling through to visit some friends and came upon me in the field behind my house, I had gotten caught under one of the wheel spokes, the splintered wood gone straight through my stomach," he explained pulling up his shirt and I noticed the small silvery scar that still graced his skin. I smiled at it, reaching out and tracing the circle with my finger.

"You do have scars then," I said a little breathy.

"Ilora heard me screaming, and she said there was something in my eyes that she couldn't let go of. She turned me on the spot and took me with her, truly I remember none of it. Just waking up vampire with Ilora as she started to explain to me what she had done. I had to control myself before going back, but I had a hard time adjusting to everything and it took almost five years before I could go back for her," he said, stopping and clenching his teeth some.

"You don't have to tell me any more if you don't want, I understand that old ghosts have more power than some think," I said, trying to ease some of the pain I saw etched onto his face.

"She died giving birth to my son, and I wasn't even there for it, I wasn't there to help her. I went back to my family home finding three sisters and my mother dead from a disease that had swept through. Evan was the only one remaining, and I changed him myself shortly after. When I went to visit Laney's grave I found Peter close to death and changed him as well. They are the only two people I have ever changed, and ever will make vampire. I almost lost Peter as it was," he said, choking up on his words a bit as he told his story.

"Peter is a good man, so is Evan, and so are you," I told him, finding him looking at me once again.

"Hannah, I don't know what's going to happen with you, or me, but I'm glad you're here," he said, and I found myself wrapping my arms around his arm from my seat, and leaning into his warmth. I felt my breasts push up on his arm, my nipples responding to his indirect touch. He moved his hand, and I almost gasped as it reached downwards. After a tense second I heard a click, and when I looked to Eli he winked, and threw me out of my seat and into his lap. I was straddling him, smiling down at his face. He kissed me then, a deep and slow burn of lust barely held in check. It was savorful, like we could both sense the time slipping away from us.

After a while, he reached down and lifted the edges of my shirt up, peeling it off in slow motion. I had on some of Luci's lingerie, and was suddenly thankful for her taste in undergarments. He hungrily licked his lips, placing his mouth over each covered breast to nip and play at them. I reached back and undid the bra, lucky that I could manage it, as he was driving me crazy. My breasts came free, the bra slumping off my shoulders to land in our laps. He threw it aside and leaned back to examine me, the scars from my chemo port was the darkest and most angry looking. I doubted he knew what it was, but he kissed it in turn, sending a shot of wetness that I was sure he could feel. I reached down and did the same thing to his shirt, taking the time to kiss and lick his own scar as he did mine.

"Don't stop," I whispered when he looked about ready to let his conscious take over. "Just be with me," I said, kissing him again when he was about to speak. His eyes were flashing in succession, black then red, black then red, black then red. It was a fierce debate put to rest as I unzipped his pants. He sprung free, hard and large and blazing hot in my hand. I ran my thumb over the top, never losing eye contact with him as I stoked him softly. His eyes fluttered briefly as he bent his head back, the pulse on his neck a staccato beat against the thick column of muscle. He lifted his head, ripping my thong off from under the skirt I was wearing.

"Neat trick, your majesty," I rasped out, squirming on his lap at the thought of what we were about to do. I noticed then he was staring at my own neck, and the blood red intensity of his eyes was too glaring not to mistake his meaning. I nodded my head, offering my neck to him, like I was with my body. I trusted him, knowing it was part of the deal of being with him. He licked his lips again.

"I would give you time Hannah, to know your body, to map out your curves and triggers so I could visit them over and over again until you knew only my name. At twenty thousand feet I have no such luxuries, so I will take you as I like, as you like. Yeah?" he asked, and I was left breathless at the intensity in his eyes. When I nodded, he lifted me up, piercing me on his body with abandon and biting me in a tandem motion that had me coming before I knew what hit me.

I woke up again in his arms as we exited the plane. "Shh," he said, kissing my forehead as we entered the stale and hot night air.

"I'm okay you can put me down," I told him.

"After what I did to you, I doubt that you can walk," he said smiling roguishly at me and looking far from sorry.

"Well it was a bit fast, your highness. I bet I'm fine by now," I teased back and enjoyed the flash of red that flew to his eyes as I said it. Just as he was about to come back with something a man stepped into view.

"Sir, your car awaits," he said, bowing respectfully and gesturing behind him towards the sleek black Mercedes behind him.

"That looks like a big backseat," I whispered to him, winking suggestively. He swallowed slowly and then shook his head at me.

"Behave," he gently chided me, kissing me lightly and placing me on my feet next to him.

"Thank you Eddie, I take it Diego would like me to stop by before going to rest for the day?" Eli asked, seeming resigned to the idea despite the lack of reply yet.

"Of course, I'll take you over there directly. He has placed you and Mademoiselle Lefrevre in his guest house for your stay," he explained and I could help but laugh at his assumption.

"I'm the food, not the fiancé," I said winking and a threading my arm through Eli's.

"My apologies..." he said, holding his hand out to me to shake.

"Hannah," I finished for him, smiling at his genuine greeting in return. Eli let out a low growl and I chuckled, pulling him along to get into the car as the assistant scrambled back to the plane to get our luggage. Thankfully he could hold it in two hands, considering we were only staying for two days it wasn't much. I smiled at him again and thanked him for helping, which caused another growl from Eli.

"Don't even ruin it by opening your mouth," I said, relaxing into the lush leather seat and arranging my skirt in a presentable way. "And those panties came as a matching set with the bra you know, you've ruined them," I told him playfully when I remembered I wasn't wearing any underwear.

"It's worth it, now I can do this," he said, running his hand up my thigh. On cue Eddie came and interrupted the moment, entering the driver's seat and chatting with us nonstop until we reached Diego's. Of course, Eli teased me the entire ride, grazing my lady bits every so often as he spoke in Spanish to the driver.

I thankfully got out of the car, just about at my limit, and looked up to marvel at the structure in front of me. It was a traditional Spanish villa, but blown up to mansion scale. It luxurious and yet somehow seemed to fit into the surroundings with a natural ease.

"Elijah," I head a booming manly voice echo from the dark.

"I have a friend with me Diego, one that cannot see through the night such as we can. I'm afraid you are going to startle her if you stay hidden much longer," Eli said with a hint of teasing in his tone. It was clear he was amused by Diego, and I was beginning to think he was a character. As if by pure magic Diego was suddenly in front of me, holding my hand to kiss the top. I gasped, truly startled at his lack of restraint in showing off his power.

Upon further inspection he looked more like Hemingway than the vampire king of Mexico, like a haggard sea farer instead of the wealthy owner of the mansion before us. He had a deep and bushy beard, tall but sturdy in build, and inspecting eyes that were alight with interest and mischief. "My apologies to the lady," he said more to Eli than me, bowing and shaking Elijah's hand with a smile.

"Then you can apologize to the lady herself," I said, teasing back when he wouldn't look at me. Diego laughed, turning my way and holding a hand over his chest in mock horror.

"Of course Senorita, I apologize," he said, kissing my hand again when Eli interrupted.

"This is Hannah, and she is mine," Eli said proudly if not a bit awkwardly to Diego. His friend raised an eyebrow, hiding a smirk under is ostentatious looking beard.

"Please let's go in," he said, walking towards the house with Eli and I in tow. I looked to my companion, who seemed to be at ease here and I decided to go with it. Even if Diego seemed a little eccentric.

The inside of the place was even more opulent than the outside, with lush rich tapestries and old world charm. It contrasted so sharply to the modern electronics that it somehow worked with astonishing balance. Our host led us down the long entryway and into a large sun room, well it would have been a sun room if the windows above hadn't been blacked out. I sat on a small loveseat with Eli next to me, and Diego took up a position across from us on the sofa. There was a rich and intricately carved coffee table between us, upon which sat a silver tray with various drinks.

"Please, help yourselves," Diego said, gesturing to the table for us to take what we liked. I grabbed what I was hoping was water, needing it after our flight. The men grabbed manly drinks, squat and wide glasses filled with an amber liquid that I could smell from where I was sitting.

"How have you been Diego? It's been too long since we visited," Eli said, leaning back and crossing his ankle over his knee.

"It's been an adjustment, but most of my subjects were so glad to be rid of Soze they haven't complained much," he explained, looking pleased with himself.

"Challenges?" Eli asked, and I was starting to have to concentrate to pick up on the nuances of their conversations.

"Two, quickly resolved which was good for me. Other than that, it's Eliza that I'm worried about. She likes the attention a bit too much for my taste, and with her penchant for parties it's been nonstop for me. Thankfully her sister is getting married soon so she's off arranging their joining ceremony." Diego took a long drink and an even longer breath out, closing his eyes for the moment in what looked like relief.

"I told you not to mate her, but you didn't listen Diego, you never did," Eli said smiling, shaking his head.

"Back then we didn't have much, and they never let you know what they are really like before they snare you," Diego said scratching his beard with vigor.

"With a good woman it won't matter," Eli said smiling at me and I felt a traitorous blush creep up my neck at his unexpected comment.

"Too true, mate," he said scratching his beard once more and looking deep in thought. "So, tell me why you brought your mistress instead of your fiancé for this visit. I'm intrigued by her," he said pointing in my direction and taking another drink from his glass. I was starting to see why Diego was described as socially aloof and somewhat insulting.

"Just a heads up, it's not polite to either call me his mistress or speak of me as if I'm not here. That aside, who warms his bed is his decision, as it is his decision to share with you his reasons. But if you want a short answer, I've never been to Mexico," I said winking, teasing him a little but meaning the rest. I didn't want to insult him but he couldn't speak that way about me, right in front of me. Diego, to my relief, threw his head back and laughed. His rich and deep tones reverberating through the room like waves.

"Oh Eli, we have much to discuss," he said, wiping the tears from his eyes as he calmed down his laughing. "Though she is entertaining, perhaps it is best to continue our conversation while I get Hannah settled into your guest room." He then turned and spoke aloud in Spanish, calling out for someone in the house.

I looked to Eli and scowled, but after a brief shake of his head I gave it up. I didn't want to hear what they were going to talk about, and I probably wouldn't want to sit through to much more of Diego's jabs, intended or not.

"I'll be in shortly," Eli said standing when I did as a maid came up looking over me anxiously. He kissed my cheek and I followed the maid out of the room, feeling a bit uneasy of being in the strange place without Eli. At least I got my gun back, it was tucked firmly into my bag and I had no intentions of letting it out of my sight.

As we weaved our way through the house, I determined that it was nearly as long as it was wide and tall, meandering hallways leading here and there with little sense to the why of it all. Just as we turned another corner we found ourselves in the courtyard behind the house. It had a wide open middle, circling bushes and flowers, complete with benches, surrounded a grandiose fountain the middle. I had little time to admire much else as my lead was continuing to walk at a brusque pace towards the smaller house at the far end of the lawn.

Done in the same style as the main house, it was almost a miniature, down to the arches and small courtyard I could see peeking around the back of the house. The inside was a copy also, with the same old world charm and modern opulence that the other villa had. We stopped in the entryway and the maid looked around, like she was waiting for someone to come out and jump her.

"Is everything okay?" I asked her, noticing her sweat stains and the fact that her hands seemed to be shaking. She ignored my comment, choosing to pace a little around the small entryway, the clicking of her house shoes was starting to get to me.

"Um, are you alright?" I asked, thinking I might have better luck speaking about her instead of what was going on.

"Me, I fine. Just tired," she said brokenly to me as she shrugged her neck. I was relieved she spoke enough English to be able to converse with me at least. She decided to busy herself in the kitchen, pulling out ingredients to feed me, despite my protests that I wasn't hungry. Having little options, I walked around the large living area, noticing that unlike the other place this one seemed to be teeming with pictures. The large wall opposite the entertainment center was like a shrine. Each picture was of Diego and who I assumed was Eliza, thinking it would be strange if it was not his mate.

They were from various decades, like a homage to the art and progress that the camera had gone through over the years. The only constant, was that their faces never changed. It was oddly wrong seeing everything else change except for the two of them. The thought of it being unnatural passed my mind, but when I equated that to Eli's age it didn't matter as much to me. I got to what looked like the most recent pictures, noticing the clothing, and the world stopped around me.

"Um Senora?" I asked, hearing my voice shake a little. The maid looked up and came over to where I was standing. "Is this Eliza?" I asked pointing to the woman in the bright green dress. The maid nodded, looking at me strangely and then walked away to finish her kitchen preparations. I swung my gaze back to the picture and the same dress from my dream, strange straps and green material, even the same hairstyle though now it graced Eliza instead of Marcy. I tried to keep calm, thoughtfully analyzing what this could mean before acting harshly.

"Senora?" I asked again, making my way casually towards her. "Is Eliza here, I was so hoping to meet her. I hear she throws the best parties," I asked, trying to sound like I was almost disappointed. The maid looked me over, shaking her head after a while.

"She with sister, planning mating," she said, the same nervous glances returning. I didn't like this one bit but my hands were tied, I couldn't pry too much. This bird was skittish as it was. I plopped onto one of the couches, closing my eyes and trying to recall everything I could about my dream. I had challenged Marcy that night, but outside of that there wasn't much else going on. I would have to wait for Eli to come back, wait to see what he thought about it all. I had little to fear of telling him what I thought about everything. The maid called me over, and when I reached the island I noticed that there was only a plate for one.

"Will the gentlemen be wrapping up their talk soon? I can wait for Eli," I said, wanting to eat with him and not alone with this weird woman.

"No, not done for a while. Long time, eat," she said, pushing the plate my way and staring me down. I pushed it back and shook my head.

"No it's okay," I said puzzled at her insistence.

"You must eat," she said again, her face going from insistent to angry too quickly to mean good things for me.

"No thank you, if you will show me my room I would love to freshen up," I said, hoping to give her another outlet for her to help me.

"Eat!" she called out to me again, not moving and going from angry to desperate looking. There was no way I was eating that now, it was too suspicious though, I had no clue why she would want to poison me. I shook my head, feeling like being closer to my gun wouldn't be such a bad thing so I started backing up towards the couches again. The maid followed, a close creeping motion that mimicked each step I took.

"He told me you need to eat food, and stay here," she said cryptically not letting me out of her sight. I felt the edge loop of my bag hit the back of my knees, but that was a last resort.

"Who's he Senora?" I asked in gentle tone. She was now panting, hot tears running down her face as her eyes darted around.

"He has my son," she told me, sitting down on the floor and putting her head in her hands.

"Is he like Diego, or is he different?" I asked, wondering if she knew more about her employer than he let on. She shook her head, either because she didn't know or that person that held her son wasn't vampire. I had a suspicion it was wolves again, but I couldn't be sure. I heard glass smashing, a far off warning that things weren't right. I didn't need to convince myself of what to do. I reached down and grabbed the gun out of my purse, locked and loaded it, and ran to the back door, sprinting into the night towards the main house.

Chapter 23

I ran through the dark, the stale hot air was stifling without a good wind. I could tell my leg was getting worse, each hurried step I took send a sharp pain down the side, the angry joint seeming ready to lock up. I wondered how far the cancer was spreading, and what that meant for my time left.

I meandered down the side slowly, gun drawn and ready. How the police did this all the time I had no clue, as it was my nerves were shot and I was jumping at the slightest noise. Half way through, the windows that were still drawn giving me little information as to what was going on. I knew we were sitting near the front of the house so I forced myself to continue the walk, checking every so often for more noises and glancing behind me to make sure I wasn't followed.

The broken window, it's scatters remains glinting in the moonlight, was the next opening I came upon. Carefully I approached the side, inching my face closer to the gap in the outer wall. It was pure darkness on the other side with no sign of persons anywhere that I could see. I wasn't guaranteed another way to get into the house, so I gingerly made my way through the broken window opening landing with a soft thud on the other side. The room looked like a study or office, and with the size of the house I doubted I could assume it was Diego's. I heard a few thuds, low and deep noises that sent gooseflesh up my arms and neck. Checking the gun for what seemed like the thousandth time, I inched my way towards the door way, peeking around the corner before I exited.

My best plan was to follow the noises I was hearing, my senses weren't as sharp as most of the supernaturals in my life, but it was better than a humans. I heard a hiss, a definite male sounding, vampire riling noise that erased the gooseflesh to be replaced with a cool chill of fear. I could shoot the wolves, given the right circumstances, but I was going to be toast if I ran into vamps. I kept going down the corridor, whipping my head around every corner, stopping for every noise. I took me three times as long to get down the long hallway, but I knew I was getting closer because the noises were louder and sharper to my ears. The end of the hallway went to an open area, I didn't know the house well enough to discern where it led or how secure it would be for me.

The walls shook for a moment, and it took my brain a moment to realize it was from the sound of someone screaming deep. It reverberated around the area, the deep sounding waves were almost too much for my eardrums. The thought, and the likelihood of it coming from Eli had me throwing caution to the wind. I ran in a crouch down the small length leading to the opening, and after a quick check around the corner I sprinted down the next hallway I encountered. I could hear more things breaking, and the sounds of a violent struggle as bodies hit walls and floors at dangerous speeds. Then I heard Eli's voice, clear and cold as I had once remembered it.

"You think it will be that easy?" Eli taunted, his voice as sharp as a knife edge. I heard more, slightly stranger noises, they were getting harder to figure out because my heartbeat was pounding a drumbeat in my ears. A shadow crossed my line of sight, followed shortly by a body. Eli, bloodied and sluggish appeared a few feet from me, the end of a wooden steak lodged mere inches from its target. Without thinking I ran to him, pulling the shard of wood out before someone got a chance to try it again.

"Eli, Eli," I whispered to him urgently to wake him up, stroking his face and pushing his hair out of his eyes. "Eli it's Hannah, you need to get up. Get up!" I said again with a violent desperation as I shook his arm. My blood ran cold when I heard the approaching footsteps, and with Eli lying unconscious beneath me I had no choice. Picking up and pocketing the steak in my jeans, I stood up, shaking myself off and lifting the safety on the gun as I got into a defensive stance.

The shadow grew closer, until Diego stepped into my view, eyes looking wild as he spotted me. He was covered in blood as well, but the intent in his eyes told me which side of the encounter he was on. I shivered as he stood before us, looking curiously from me and my gun, to the body that was now behind me.

"You are protecting him?" he asked me, giving me a look usually reserved for the mentally unstable.

"With my life," I said succinctly, feeling the fear slip back somehow.

"Little human you are interesting, it's too bad that you and your future maker won't survive tonight," he said, licking some blood off the knife he held in his hand.

"He's not my maker, and that isn't the only part of that sentence you got wrong," I said, gripping the handle of the gun tighter as I mapped out my shot. I would have to do it fast if we had a chance of surviving.

"Oh if you think he'll leave you human, it won't happen. In fact we were just talking about the possibility of changing you, until the drink kicked in," Diego said smirking, and it was almost too much information to process. The more I kept him talking, the longer Eli had to snap out of it.

"It won't work anyway, I have cancer. I'm dying," I told him, knowing that the possibility of him changing me wouldn't work. The virus that vampire transformation was preempted by, can't cure diseases.

"Oh how tragic, and to think Eli is missing this dramatic turn. I would have loved to tell him to his face that his little mistress will go the way of his first wife," he said feigning horror in his expression, opening his mouth to respond again before I interrupted him.

"Let me guess, I look a whole lot like her?" I asked with an eye roll. These people need new lines.

"Yes, you do. But you're different aren't you Ms. Porter," he said, raising his eyebrow and looking every bit the villain he was playing at. The blood drained for my face, and it was a struggle to remain upright.

"Working with my father now? That's a bit low, even for a vampire like you," I said, trying to keep him talking while I thought this through.

"Heaven's no, I have a different partner in this little venture, but I did know your mother once. She was a beauty, and you are almost a copy of her, outside of all the obvious...flaws," he said, sneering at my scars. Damn stuck up immortals, this was one kill I was going to enjoy.

"My mother never told anyone about me, so how do you know?" I asked, needing to get some more answers out of him.

"She told me once, we used to be very close," he explained letting the innuendo hang in the air. It didn't surprise me, my mother couldn't keep her legs closed to anyone and now I was being punished for it. "Don't mistake me though Hannah, she wasn't proud of you. She was quite liquored up when she spilled the beans, going on and on about how you turned out so deficient," he rambled on, aiming to hurt me. Too bad she told me those things to my face so often it had little effect on me now.

"Well it makes sense, killing an old friend is a move only my mother would dare make. So tell me why Eli?" I asked, noticing his leg twitch a bit more. Time, my friend and enemy.

"Territory my dear, the America's are teeming with vampires but running out of room. We all want power, and it so happens I have a partner that shares my desire to expand." Diego said it with no inflection, no remorse in his tone.

"Taking on a partner is not without risks Diego, if they are so willing to get rid of Eli they won't hesitate to replace you. The pawn is the first sacrifice," I said, focusing on his body posture so I could line up my shot just right.

"Oh he wouldn't dare sweet Hannah, look what I did to your Drake." He gestured out proudly to Eli, still laying prostrate on the ground and looking pretty comfortable there too.

"You had to drug him, you lousy coward. What does that say?" I countered, feeling my anger rise and trying to push it down. I heard Eli make a noise below me, and I crossed my fingers he hadn't heard too much of this conversation.

"It says I play it smart, not like your father. He tried to take Eli and his brother out by ambushing them, like an idiot brute. It didn't work out so well for him, I'm sure you can remember the story," Diego said, moving into a fighting stance. He licked his lips and flexed his hands. I noticed his claws coming out, the fangs lengthening in his mouth as his eyes glowed almost pure yellow.

"Oh we can agree on that, my father is an idiot. Unfortunately for you, I am not," I said, shooting off a number of shots as he lunged for me. It was all I could do for the moment, either I did enough to put him down for a second, or he was going to rip my head off by the time he reached me. I felt a body hit my own, the absurd hope it was Eli's was squashed when I felt his blood soaked beard hit my chest and neck. In a shudder, he convulsed on top of me, sliding off my body to land next to me on the floor.

I jumped up, thanking my old friends for all the shooting lessons, and rolling Diego onto his back. With shaking hands I grabbed the steak out of my back pocket. I took a deep breath, putting all of my body behind the shot. To pierce someone's rib cage is beyond tough, and I knew it would have to take a good amount of force to find it's mark. I screamed for some extra effort as the steak came down, rocking my body with a shock of pain as it his is thick chest. When it slid into place I could feel the shot reverberate up my arm, the slight clicking noises were the only indication that I aimed true.

Before my eyes his body went rigid, forcing his limbs into a tight line with the rest of his body. His visage seemed to shimmer a bit, like an oasis in the desert, and before long the shaking was clearly coming from his body as well. The seizures continued, gaining speed and becoming more violent until it began erupting into flames. His body was engulfed now, and his dwindling mass was burning away, until a mere two minutes later it was a pile of ashes on the floor.

I swung back to Eli who was barely managing to sit up against the wall, eyes wide as he stared at me.

"Eli," I said, putting my hands up and speaking to him gently.

"Hannah," he rasped out to me, clenching his jaw as he tried to get the words out. "What's your real last name?" he asked, eyes fluttering open and closed as he struggled for consciousness.

"My married name was Yost, and my maiden name was Porter," I explained, trying to get my voice to sound steady as I said it. He reached into his phone, his hands so uncoordinated that it slipped from his fingers to hit the floor. I reached down to grab it and Eli growled at me, a harsh sound that made me jump back.

"Eli, I couldn't tell you everything, you would have killed me," I explained, backing up when I could see his eyes flash in anger at me. He was fumbling with the phone, finally dialing the number he wanted as he held it up with a limp hand up to his ear. He spoke in successive tones into the receiver, hiding his words behind the Portuguese I didn't understand. When he was done he simple dropped the phone into his lap, not bothering with it any longer. I opened up my mouth to talk to him again, wanting nothing more than to erase the look of pain on his face, but he stopped me with his hand.

"Do not speak to me," he said, turning his head and using the wall to brace himself as he stood up. I earned another growl when I tried to help him up, deciding it was safer for me to keep my distance. He faced me, rock hard jaw and body told me I was in for something unpleasant.

"Eli, it doesn't matter who my father is, I'm nothing like him. I wanted to tell you, but it wouldn't have helped things. I have no contact with him, and I have done nothing to you but try and help. Please Eli, you have to understand," I said, almost begging. He gave me no expression, the same stone cold resolve etched on his face.

"I could forgive your parentage, I could forgive your deception in how you came to my house, but you lied about so much more Hannah. I have no desire to watch someone else I care about die, and that is exactly what you are doing aren't you?" he said, noticing his eyes were turning more angry by the second. I nodded my head, swallowing thickly back the foreboding feeling rising in my stomach.

"Is that what you wanted the blood for? That's why you came to me at my party, tried to get me to give you some then huh? Fuck me, then feed from me, and be on your way. It's a good plan, even if it won't work," he said, the hard planes of his face in stark relief as headlight illuminated them. I could only nod my head, the shock of his reaction was rendering me speechless.

"Our ride is here, let's go," he said, grabbing my arm roughly and dragging me out of the house. We stepped over an alarmingly large pile of dead vampires, and I couldn't help but marvel at the destruction he wrought even drugged. Diego must really trust whoever he is working with to risk his life in this attempt. I tripped over one of the lingering arms, and was jerked promptly up by Eli, who didn't even bother to turn around. I didn't want to linger here either.

We entered the open air, and I got a good view of the taxi Eli must have hired. I looked down on myself, noticing that I was almost covered in blood from both Eli and Diego. He must have noticed it as well, because he took off his dress shirt and handing it out for me to change into.

"Our bags," I blurted out to him as he motioned for me to get into the car.

"Fuck the bags, get into the car," he repeated.

"I don't care about my clothes but I need my bag, it has my meds in it," I said, not wanting to bring up the subject of my cancer but seeing no choice really. His face showed no emotion, but he jogged off towards the back of the house and returning a minute later to throw my bag at me. Thankfully I caught it, and he shoved me off towards the back of the cab, opening the front door to sit as far from me as possible.

I noticed the cab pull up on a hotel, how Eli managed to find a five star resort this deep in Mexico was beyond my understanding, but here we were standing in their grand lobby. I sat down at one of the small chairs in the entryway, holding my head in my hands and going over the events of the night. I should be seeing Diego's face when I closed my eyes, I should have been thinking about how was after Eli and the odd coincidence that Diego knew who I was. Instead, I saw his face, Eli looking at me with the wide sad eyes of a man who knows the loss of a partner.

"Let's go," he clipped out to me, dragging me to my feet again and heading towards the elevator. I stood behind him, covered in his dress shirt and cowering like a sullen child. We looked like honeymooners from hell.

The elevator dinged at the last possible floor, incurring an eye roll from me. Of course they had a penthouse, it was probably the only available space that had two separate bedrooms. We made the silent and tense walk down the corridor and towards a set of double doors at the far end. Eli got the card key to work, and with little fanfare he entered, not bothering to hold the door for me.

"I get that you're mad, but I just want to remind you that I killed Diego, and probably saved your life. Again," I snapped out started to get mad myself at the way he was handling things. He threw a look so filled of astonished hate I shut my mouth on instinct.

"I wasn't aware that Alpha Porter had any living children," he said casually changing the subject, sitting down on the edge of the bed and unlacing his shoes.

"I am obviously not what they consider a viable child, and to keep up appearances of strength they decided to tell everyone I died at birth," I informed him, he was still going about undressing, still staying eerily calm.

"And it was them that informed you of your best option. To come to me and get some of my blood. Or was it your ex-husband?" he asked, letting a little of his mask slip by having to grit out the sentence through clenched teeth.

"My parents could care less what happens to me, and yes it was Jameson that suggested the idea," I said, trying to sum it up as simply as I could manage.

"The same Jameson that divorced you when you were sick. The same one that is in line for the throne?" It was all I could do but shrug and nod, my options for making this look better were dwindling by the second. "So I am looking at the all human, ex- would have been, queen of the wolves?" he asked, having striped down to his pants and undershirt he was now staring at me. Eyes full of contempt and fury swirling in their depths. I gave another nod and shrug, choosing the option of revealing as little else as possible. He wasn't in a state to listen to reason.

"Well to be honest my father would never have let me reign in any large capacity, I know it was mostly for show," I explained, trying to downplay my would-be status.

"This would be the same man who tried to kill me about eighty years ago. The same one that killed many of my friends, guards, and Evan's mate as well. I bet you didn't know that. Your father strung her up to die in the middle of your lawn, chaining her with metal when the sun came up. We didn't even know he had taken her until nightfall, of course it was too late," he informed me, eyes glowing as bright a red as one could imagine. I took a step back, unsure where this was going.

"Now his daughter, who lied about who she was, comes into my house the same night it's burned to a crisp with me locked inside. The same daughter who is with my brother and fiancé when they are attacked, the same woman who was with me tonight, on a visit to an old friend when I am attacked by fifty vampires and the king as well. You are connected to it all, claiming the dreams told you of what was to happen," he said, scoffing and running a hand through this hair.

"I saved you on two of those occasions, don't lose sight of that in your crusade to try me for the sins of my father," I spat back, not allowing to turn into some convoluted wolf hunt. We were interrupted by a knock at the door, a disheveled looking bellman came in and handed Eli a package. He waved him off, walking over to the desk and opening it even before the hotel staffer had closed the door behind him. I saw a cell phone, money clip, and some clothes come out of the bag, scattering on the table like dice.

"How do I know this isn't a setup from your father? With all the wolf involvement I have a hard time imagining he can't be connected in some way," Eli said, sitting in the desk chair and leaning back.

"My father wouldn't be that stupid, and when I said we had no contact before I meant it. I haven't spoken directly to him for years. Since I tried to kill myself," I admitted absently running my hand over my scar. "Besides, Jameson and Grayson are good people, they would never attack you like that. They were the ones that suggested this as a last ditch effort. They wouldn't send me in here if they were behind this. You know it doesn't feel right either, there is something else going on here Elijah." He stayed still, eyes examining my face as I spoke. I was imploring him to see reason, to see my intentions.

He turned away from me, picking up his phone and starting it up. After a few seconds he was dialing numbers, and so began an hour long trail of non-English conversations that had me both intrigued and concerned for what was going to happen from here. I took this time to wash my face and thread my hair through with my fingers in an attempt to control it. I slipped my skirt and tank top off, having to deal with the fact that I was in a bra and men's shirt with no underwear in sight. Somewhere into the fourth call, I plopped onto the bed stretching my sore shoulder out a little.

I was still lying on the bed, eyes scanning the ceiling like it would offer me the piece to the puzzle that we were missing, when I flipped over onto my stomach to find the remote. I couldn't afford cable at home, and the history channel was calling to me. Offering me comfort that someone, at some point, had it worse than I did. I looked back to Eli, who was staring at my backside with marked interest. I blushed and jumped to my knees, recalling the fact that I didn't have on anything underneath the shirt.

"See something you like, your majesty?" I asked sharply back to him, tucking my legs underneath me.

"I want to be clear what we shared on the plane was a mistake, you lack of panties was just a reminder," he said bitterly back to me. I could feel the color heat my cheeks, anger instantly rising at his flippant remark.

"So you can sleep with me when I'm a wolf, but now that you know who sired me you find me unappealing? Gods, what a stuck up immortal way to think about it. I'm the same person you asshat, and little Eli tells me what you won't admit. What we did in the plane was incredible," I told him.

"What we did on the plane was great sex Hannah, surely your wolf showed you what that is like," he sneered back to me, face slipping a little as the lie came out of his mouth.

"It's more than that, don't you dare diminish it by shrugging it off. It's the promise of the kind of love that changes people, which makes people believe in love again, you can feel it just like I can. I don't have time, you know that as well as I do, but we can fill the time with so much...so much feeling, so much love. Why can't you just love me Elijah? I'm not dead yet," I said, rising to stand on the bed. His eyes were riveted to me, inching down to my hands as I removed the first of the buttons from my shirt.

"I'll remove another button when you admit it," I said, jutting my chin up and challenging him to lie to me again. "Admit to me you feel the same way when you touch me," I teased, running my fingers over the buttons.

"I'm getting married," he said, swallowing and running his hand through his hair again.

"Bullshit excuse, it's for the arrangement, and being big bad king Drake should allow you some wiggle room to negotiate," I informed him, yawning and stretching some so that the end of the shirt went almost to my waist.

"You are human," he said, looking it was getting increasingly harder for him to restrain himself.

"That's not an excuse but a fact, and I think you like the fact that I can sustain you," I said, getting down and landing on the ground next to the chair. I looked to his face, his long frame gracefully balanced on the chair with a tension that let me know he was ready to spring. He looked like the predator he was. "You like my blood running hot down your throat, coating you while you fill me up," I said, leaning and exposing my neck to him.

"You're dying," he told me, his eyes flashing a warning as his fangs started to grow in his mouth. Gods his iron will was usually a turn on, but it was driving me crazy now.

"Aren't we all your highness, I just have a better idea of my expiration date. And I'm not dead yet Eli, so show me what your immortality feels like," I said bending down between his knees to look up at him. "Love me Eli, it can be so simple," I said, running my hand up to cup his face. I got lost in those eyes for a moment, watching the colors violently mesh and flash his intensity.

"It isn't that simple," he said, getting frustrated rising to his feet as I did my own.

"Give yourself over to me," I demanded. "Surrender yourself, and I will do the same," I told him again as I pushed his chest with my hands. He took a step back, with a warning growl escaping his throat

"Don't do that again," he said, rising to stand.

"Then surrender yourself," I explained simply, reaching out and pulling his belt towards me. He allowed me to, following his pants and coming to a stop inches from where I was standing. He was still looking down on me, a small smile was the only crack in his solid mask of calm.

"I cannot," Eli said in response to my demand.

"You can, but you won't. You'll cite your duty to the seethe, perhaps the complication of your engagement, but we both know it's just an excuse. So submit to me, and I will give you my submission in return. We can take from each other, not to lesson ourselves but to make us more. Isn't that what living is supposed to be? It's supposed to fill you up, so fill me up your majesty," I said raising my arms to the side in invitation.

In the next moment, Eli had ripped the shirt clean open, exposing my bare lower half and bra. It was so forceful and so fast that I was still marveling what he did as the sides of the shirt flapped behind me. In another second he had my bra ripped in half, lying limply on the floor like a twisted piece of road kill. He sat down on the edge of the bed, pulling me closer by my hips so I rested in between his legs. He looked up to my face, pure lust and tenderness that had my heart beating out of my chest. He cupped each hip, staring and licking his lips as he roamed his gaze over my breasts. I could feel his fingers digging into the flesh, liking the rough touch combined with his soft expression. We stood like that for a while, it was like he was searing the memory of how I looked into his mind.

"Don't do that," I tensed up realizing what this was. "You can't give me you and then take it away," I said, feeling the first drop of tears I was desperately holding back, finally stream out of my eyes.

"Hannah," he said, bringing me close and crushing me to him. He put his hands on each side of my face, wiping away each tear with his large thumbs. "Don't do that, its okay love I'm here," he told me in an attempt to beat back the sadness. I took a deep breath, blinking back the larger drops that were starting to abate.

"Sweet brave woman. I submit to you." Eli had a sheen to his eyes, and if I didn't know his icy countenance I would have thought it was from tears. He threw me under him, a synchronized move that left him hovering over me, and licking his lips in anticipation of going lower. His large hand crept up my thigh, running lovingly over the scar on my leg and finding purchase deep within me. I arched my back, finding the sensation too awesome to stay still. He thrust his fingers inside of me, lowering his mouth and biting deep into the femoral vein as he circled my clit with his thumb. I came instantly, throwing my head back and screaming his name.

I awoke in the former main hall of the Drake seethe, it was untouched by the fire that consumed it not too long ago. I couldn't see anyone around me, a quick scan of the hall left not a soul in sight. I was wearing Eli's shirt still, but my brain couldn't comprehend why I had on his shirt to begin with. If I tried to remember what happened to me before now I came up with nothing.

A deep and haunting noise drew me closer to staircase ahead of me. I kept climbing towards the noise, unable to veer my course at all but to I thought at first it was a record, but the farther down the hall I got I realized it was bagpipes. How strange, that isn't a normal soundtrack to an evening. I came upon the open double door, identical to the one that I had served Eli in the first night I came here. The inside wasn't quite what I was expecting, there was a full orchestra and stage ahead of me. The bagpiper, who turned out to be Peter, was playing away to the crowd surrounding the stage. I looked to the left and right of me, finding large aisles all around packed seat to seat with vampires.

I sighted Ilora, running towards her and moving to shake her shoulder. My hand went right through her, and bending down to her level in an attempt to get her attention. "Ilora, it's Hannah," I said to her, finally looking to her left and rocking back when I saw an image of myself next to her. I looked awful, I had to admit, pale yellowish in color and it was glaringly apparent that I had lost an unhealthy amount of weight. Ilora had her arm around my shoulders, crushing me tight to her as blood red tears streamed down my face.

"Shh Hannah dear, it will be over soon," she told me, stroking the side of my head as I sobbed into her chest. I heard a noise behind me, whipping around and noticing the double doors were closed behind us. I ran towards them, pounding on each door when I reached them in an attempt to get them open again. The closterphobic feeling was itching my skin when I realized it was the only door of the room.

"Let me out," I screamed, feeling panicked at the thought of being stuck here. As if on command they opened, with Marcy in full bridal dress appearing in front of me. I shook my head, knowing what I was in store for.

"No I won't let you," I told Marcy, but my body floated right through her own. She gave a brief sneeze, but continued on as my eyes followed her form as she made her way down the aisle. I snapped back to the front of the room, and seeing his stark figure standing alone on the stage, with Peter right behind him.

When I focused in on Elijah my breath left my body in a rush. He was so regal, so majesty looking in his wedding finery that he didn't look real. His dark hair and eyes were set in stark relief to the palled tones of his crisp white shirt. He was every childhood fantasy come to life. A king like no other. I ran right after Marcy, seeing there was nothing to lose since no one could see me. I ran right through her form again, forging ahead and stopping across from Eli at the altar. I tried to get his attention but it made little difference, he couldn't see me either.

"Eli," I said, throwing my face in front of him and reaching out towards his face, stopping just short of his jawline. I didn't want to feel my hand go right through him, I didn't know if I could handle that. "Don't do this, it isn't right. Eli," I implored as Marcy reached where I was standing. I must have been in the exact location she was supposed to be in, because I felt my body slide into her own and lock for a second with my own. Her thoughts became my own, an intense streaming of her consciousness clashed with my own and made me instantly feel sick. After hastily stepping back, and tripping on my own feet, I landed on the ground behind the two of them.

I tried to get back up, but there was a hand holding my shoulder down. I spun on my behind, craning my neck to see who was above me. Diego hovered just above me, knife pointed deliberately at my neck.

"Interesting human, I didn't think you had it in you," he said shaking his head and running a hand over his chest. At his touch the steak appeared, blood streaming from the wound and onto the floor around us. I tried backing up, but the blood was making the floor so slippery that I couldn't get any traction. He threw the knife he was holding, and it was all I could but watch it spin its way towards me. Lodging straight in my chest, Diego laughed as it hit its mark.

"I would have gone for the kill but I wanted you to watch while I kill Elijah," Diego told me as he slowly made his way over to where the two were standing. I was gasping for air, unable to fill my lungs with what I needed.

"I don't have much time, so if you could do Marcy first I'd appreciate it," I rasped out, fighting to stay sitting until I gave in and slumped down to the floor, head turned in their direction. Oddly I didn't feel pain, and that was the most alarming feeling of all.

"She always was a nasty thing, but as much as I would love to grant you a last wish I cannot," he said and some of the clicks began forming in my head.

"Is your partner...Lefevre," I gasped out, trying to fight the electric feeling that was sweeping my body. This was what dying feels like, it was the same sensation I encountered when I slit my wrists so long ago. It was my body's last defense, the last of my nerves firing and trying to work a body that was unworkable.

"Interesting human," he replied just as the black veil covered my eyes and the world went to peace.

Chapter 24

I woke screaming again, sitting straight up in bed and noticing a large body holding me from behind, touching my hair soothingly. I could still smell the blood on me, and see Diego's expression as he uttered those last haunting words at me. My hands were balled up in the sheets, the thin cotton stretched so tight I had ripped a hole.

"Shh, Hannah, it's just a dream. Take a deep breath babe," I heard him say through the fog of my brain. Trying to acclimate in this reality had my head spinning. I rubbed my chest absently, feeling no blood or knife still lodged there. My heartbeat was pounding in my ears, and I couldn't yet intake a good amount of air.

"Hannah babe, you need to take a breath before you pass out," I heard the voice say again, and at the realization of who it was, I snapped my eyes open, jumping back on the bed and shaking my head. The tears were already pouring over bottom eyelid, dropping in fat splashes down the front of Eli's dress shirt.

"He wouldn't," I said, clenching my fists and staring back at Jameson. I saw Greyson just behind him, sitting in the desk chair, eyes downcast as he held his head in his hands. "Tell me...tell me he didn't call you here to come and get me," I pleaded. I got no response from either brother, dropping to my knees on the carpet at the head of the bed in utter defeat.

"Hannah," Jameson said, his hand touching my shoulder to coax me up.

"Don't touch me," I spat back. My elbows were resting on my thighs, and I was watching the hot salty rain pour off my cheeks to hit my knees. I kept shaking my head, desperately trying to understand how I gotten myself here. How everything was unraveling around me.

"I remember when I left, thinking that I didn't have anything to lose by trying. Nothing that happened could make it worse," I explained in a broken voice. I had the oddest feeling, of being adrift, a boat in a sea with no sails. I was just coursing through the ocean, letting each wave buck me, threatening to tip me at every turn. "I was wrong," I whispered while I looked down at the floor. My traitorous mind kept replaying the events of the previous night in my head, each touch and kiss and whisper flowed through my blood like sharp needles.

"I should have never pushed it," Greyson said, breaking the silence of the hotel room with his low mumble. He began arguing with Jameson now, and I couldn't muster up enough energy to listen to what they were saying. I just curled up and fell back asleep on the floor, the rough carpet wet under my cheek.

I awoke again, blissfully without the hang on effects of my nightmares. Even though I was awake I stayed still, eyes closed against the reality I knew was waiting for me. I was heartbroken, as much for the loss of what I hoped would save me, as for the lack of Elijah here this morning. I couldn't run from this, this wasn't something that I could ignore and push back. I was dying, but I had a choice. I flopped around a little, resting with my head pointing towers where I could sense they were sitting.

Jameson and Greyson were sitting on the couch in the other area of the room, a phone plastered to each ear as they spoke in hurried by low tones. I could barely even hear them from where I was laying. I sat up, noticing that I had on sleep shorts and a t-shirt, the same yellow plaid pattern that I remembered owning before. I was glad to be back in my old clothes, I could even smell my detergent on them.

"She's up," I head Greyson say as he turned his shoulder to look over to where I was. I gave him a small smile, it was a bit pathetic looking but it was progress. They guys ended their calls, coming over to sit on the bed with me.

"How many times did your parents scream at me for sneaking in and getting in bed with you guys when we were younger?" I asked, closing my eyes and settling back into the headboard. I could hear Grey laughing, he never got the worst of it since I tended to gravitate towards Jameson, even then. "Life comes full circle sometimes, the events in our lives have a way of cropping back up in different ways, letting us see things from a new angle." The guys were looking at me like I was either crazy, or about to have a breakdown. I didn't blame them, my reaction to what happened before scared me too. They looked to one another and then to me, pain and anger laced into their expressions.

"Just tell me," I said taking a deep breath out. In my life I got kicked in the teeth enough that I could take the hits now.

"We were going to give you some time here, but we have to get back. There has been an uptick in wolf activity home, and it's getting serious enough we need James there." Grey didn't look to happy about something.

"Wolves, in my father's territory? That doesn't sound right," I said, feeling uneasy about the thought. My father had run that land for over one hundred and fifty years. It wasn't the kind of land you accidentally happened upon.

"Yeah, it's been happening on and off since a little before you left. They don't seem interested in doing anything stupid yet, but the pattern suggests they are assembling," James explained, jaw clenched tight. A trespass on a wolf's territory isn't something to take lightly, it's a direct insult.

"Bring one in for questioning." I didn't understand why that hadn't been their first step.

"Henry thinks they wouldn't dare attack and has ordered us to leave them be. He thinks they are searching for some new land and just passing through." Jameson said with as much incredulity he could pack into his tone.

"This isn't some band of gypsies, something more is going on here," I said, feeling certain I was on to something. "Did you speak with Eli at all?" I said, proud of myself that I could speak about him while maintaining my dignity.

"No, he just told me he was attacked and you killed a vampire, and that I needed to come and get you," Grey said, looking nervously to James at the same time.

"What?" I asked with marked hesitation. To know or not to know...

"Well he had some words with Jameson about what he did to you, those the bastard has little fucking room to talk considering he did the same," Grey said. His face changed from one of anger to complete disbelief. I'm sure he didn't mean to say it out loud, which meant Eli must have really gave it to Jameson.

"But he said nothing about what had been going on at his seethe, anything about how I came to stay there?" I asked, wondering if I should or could share what I thought was possibly happening. I was stuck on the same question of why for so long, and now the answers were coming to me, almost too fast to process.

"He told me you saved him at his party, and you stayed there for a while. Then he asked us to come and get you, he had to return for some party." Greyson didn't look like he was too pleased with King Drake at the moment.

"His engagement party," I explained to them, too lost in thought to realize the state they must have found me in. Wolves have such a keen sense of smell I knew that understood what had transpired between the two of us.

"I'm going to share with you what has happened, and what I think. Before that, I want to tell you first is that I love you both. You have saved me more times than I can count, been there for me when I had no one. I do not regret one single thing I ever shared with either of you, just as I do not regret Elijah." I smiled at them, holding each of their hands in my own. "Now, I want to know if you feel the same way," I asked their stunned faces.

"Of course we do," James said, speaking for Grey who seemed to be getting too choked up to respond.

"Great, now I'm going to ask you for a favor," I explained, squeezing their hands as I spoke. "I want every scrap of information you two can get on Marcy Lefevre and her father."

It had been almost two weeks since I was home, well not home, but installed in one of Grey's guest rooms. Emotionally I was holding up, but physically, that was another story. I was starting on a steadier decline, and with everything going on it wasn't surprising that I kept busy enough not to notice the small signs before. When I first got back to the house, most of my clothes weren't quite fitting right, and I was betting I was a whole dress size smaller. The headaches were more frequent, and I was getting fatigued easier than I had ever before. It wasn't alarming me just yet, but it had James and Grey starting to fuss over me to the point I banned them from my room.

I hadn't heard a thing from Eli, but Ilora surprisingly sent me some of my stuff back that I had left before the trip. It contained a note, handwritten in what could only be described as perfect calligraphy. She told me it was boring without me, and that she couldn't stand being stuck there until the wedding. Most of it made me laugh, and I had to admit I missed her as well.

"Hannah?" I heard James say, and I guessed I had spaced out again as we were talking.

"I'm sorry, can you say it again," I said, pressing my hands to my eyes when a shot of pain went through my head.

"You asked me a question remember?" he told me, concerned eyes crinkling with stress.

"Right, did you get that information back from the Janruary pack?" I asked again, sitting up with interest again. Grey had mentioned to me this morning at breakfast that I should come over here because there had been some contact made with a wolf named Beard who was a former member of the pack nearest the one Marcy came from. I laughed when I imagined what a man with that name would look like.

"There isn't a shred of evidence that links the Lefevre's to the attacks Hannah, without any proof I can't go to your father or to Eli with your theories. It sounds like it makes sense, looking back and making it fit, but we may just be searching for something that isn't there," he said softly, trying to ease the disappointment I could feel all over my face.

"She's in every dream, she is connected to this all I can feel it," I said, wringing my hands back and forth.

"We've been over and over this," he said. I noticed he looked as tired as I felt. "I don't know why you can't let it go. Why chase after a man that doesn't want you?" he asked me bluntly.

"I can't explain it, and I just can't let it go," I said blushing a little and feeling like a teenager with an impossible crush.

"What about what Diego said? He was backed by someone, he told me clearly he had a partner. In my last dream he told me he couldn't hurt Marcy, even you have to admit that seems suspect," I told him, going back to the whole reason I started suspecting Marcy in the first place.

"A fact that Eli denies hearing. And I know you are going to tell me that he was passed out then, but it's only your word and a weird dream that links him to anything or anyone else. Eli told me Diego was becoming more unstable, he doesn't believe anything else was going on other than that. I have to agree with him Han, he is capable of also setting the fire at the party as well," he explained, mimicking my earlier motion and rubbing his own head.

"And the wolves? The attack on me at the seethe and in the car?" I asked, daring him to say something against those two events.

"Diego doesn't eschew our kind like the Drake's do, he has regular contact with his wolf community. I'm sure they came from him. Hannah, you have to let this go, just because you don't like Marcy, and just because she is marrying Eli, doesn't mean her whole family is in some kind of conspiracy to take over the America's." I felt a hot flush take my face, the anger and embarrassment fighting for the top spot in my head. I had told Grayson that in confidence, even if I did believe it, it was my fantastical theory to explain to him.

"It's a little more than coincidence Jameson," I said, standing quickly to leave.

"I think it's time to bring Dr. Reece in again, to make sure your medication is still...adequate." I sent him a look that I was fully expecting to slice him in two. When he still sat there, breathing, I was sorely disappointed.

"It's not the cancer, don't you even dare bring that up again. I'm not losing my mind, I'm just not afraid of going after what I want. You never did get that James, you never had to fight for what you wanted, it was all handed to you," I spat out, gripping the chair in front of me when I got a little lightheaded.

"That may be, but you never know when to give up. It's always tackling things head on or nothing at all, life isn't always linear like that Hannah." Jameson looked older in that moment, face etched with worry and looking as tired as I had ever seen him.

"When was the last time you hunted?" I asked him, softening my tone and showing some concern of my own. He flinched in response and I got my answer.

"Henry isn't doing a damn thing about the wolves, they are still passing through the land here and there. Never close enough to constitute any real trespassing, but I've taken to running the perimeter at night. Grayson gave me a new night camera so I could take stock of the faces, see which people keep coming in, and who may be legitimate travelers." He shook his head an indicated towards the desk. It was full of pictures, somewhat grainy but it was enough for a good hound, as we called them, to track down who they were affiliated with.

"Jameson," I heard Christina call as she appeared in the doorway of his office. She had her hand placed on her tiny baby bump, it looked much more pronounceable in comparison to her tall and waifish frame. "You coming up for lunch? You promised me these meetings would stop, you're stretched too thin as it is," she said, barely containing her dislike for my presence.

"I'll be right there Chris, just give me a moment." She pursed her lips but continued up the stairs, heels clicking in what sounded like agitation the entire way.

"Let me know what the hound says, I want to know where those wolves are coming from." Just as I turned to leave, Jameson spoke.

"We can't meet like this again Hannah, it's not healthy. This obsession..." he started but I whipped around to interrupt him.

"It's not an obsession. You think it's just Eli I'm trying to protect? What if those wolves are part of the same plan huh?" I asked, not wanting to share this with him considering his attitude but if his mate was going to ban me form seeing him I was going to go down swinging.

"You think the wolves are part of the plan to take out Eli? Diego is dead Han, he can't send any more."

"And if his partner still keeps to the plan? What if they are here to take you out, the same time the vamps take out Eli? My last dream..." It was all I could get out before Eli rose, pounding his fists on the desk.

"Goddamnit Hannah, enough with the dreams. They all end up in you dying, have you noticed that? Every last one you describe to me you're drowning in blood, or being sliced up, or being beaten to death. These are just dreams, the vampires call it Veiled but I call it an active imagination. I have to concentrate on what your father wants me to, I can't let this clan down by chasing after what your...impaired mind creates for itself. You loved him, and you lost him Han. It's time to move on," he said, standing and reaching out to touch me. I shook my head, willing back the tears that were threatening to spill.

"Is this you talking or her?" I asked bitterly. When I get hurt I aim for the jugular, and she was his.

"That," he said pointing up the stairs, "Is the woman pregnant with my child. She's not some mistress I chose over you, she's my mate. You cannot know how much that pains me, every time I see your face, see your pain, I want to take it all away. But I can't Hannah, no matter how many times I try." His own eyes were misty. Through the harsh words he had slung at me, my heart was too hurt to see he didn't wish any of this on me, or on him. All I could see was pain, and everything I had in me hurt.

Grayson came down, barreling through the door. It only took a second to look at my face, as well as his brothers, to make it clear that we were fighting.

"If you could get me the number of the hound I would appreciate it. I can contact him directly, should I need to satisfy the whims of, what did you call it? Oh, yes my impaired mind. Gray if you could give me a hand up the stairs," I asked, pleading with him through tear filled eyes. Jameson wrote a number down and stuck it in my numb hand, I couldn't even look at him in the moment.

"Hannah, I'm just concerned for you. You should be spending your time relaxing," Jameson said, but I was already pulling his brother towards the door.

"You don't need to make it worse," Grayson said, body rigid and tight as I strained to reign him in.

"I'm the only one willing to tell her the truth, you can't baby her forever."

"She won't be around forever," he told Jameson soberly, turning and taking my arm.

"He's under pressure, you know he would never talk you like that unless something was going on with him," Gray said, depositing me onto the bed back at his house and collapsing next to me.

"I know, it's okay." I closed my eyes, another headache looming on my conscious, making my whole body ache.

"It's not okay. But I think it great you still stick up for him. You always did, you two could be screaming at one another, and the next moment you would be defending him. I never understood it, but I think you two just knew each other too well. You are so alike, it scary." I nodded my head, knowing just what he was talking about. "He's not taking your sickness well, he can't do anything about it but sit and watch you go," he said, turning his head and facing me. He swallowed slowly, and it left me wondering if he had ever talked so openly about my cancer.

"There is always the option to try and turn you," he told me nervously, but I shook my head.

"I would die, they always die. I'm in no shape to withstand the change, I'd die instantly," I said, knowing full well the mortality rate that came along with those that tried.

"But with your DNA, it could work," he said, pleading with me an old argument we had before.

"Let me die with dignity, not bitten but too weak to change. I'd go down in a half form, not like the stunning beauty I am now," I told him joking and playing with my hair.

"Last resort?" he pleaded, eyes begging me to agree.

"Gray, it won't work. How many survive the change, one in ten thousand? And that's with the most fit, most virile males. Women are one in twenty five thousand, and I'm on my way out," I closed my eyes again, trying not to let his optimism get into my head. "Get going, I know you have a big date planned. Lindsay told me all about when she saw me yesterday," I said waving him off and yawning.

"I'm proposing to her," he said, a blush creeping up his neck.

"She'll be ecstatic. Save me a seat at breakfast and tell me all about it?" I said, reaching out and grasping his hand. He rolled off the bed, wiping his hand across my forehead before kissing it.

"You feel warm, do you think it's a fever?" he asked me. His brows were drawn in tight.

"It'll pass I'm sure," I explained feeling my eyelids increased in weight with each passing second.

"If it's not broken by the time we come back I'm calling Dr. Reece," he warned shaking his finger at me as he retreated from the room. I nodded my head and promptly fell asleep.

Chapter 25

I woke up to hurried hands on my face, a swiping motion of something cool and wet made me sigh. It felt so good against the inferno that was baking me from the inside out.

"Give her some rest, it's the best thing until the medicine kicks in," I heard a female voice say from somewhere near me. I struggled with my eyes, they weren't responding like I wanted them to.

"Dr. Reece said she should have woken up by now, how long until we need to really worry," I heard Jameson say. I fought with my eyes again, but they still weren't working for me.

"I can ask, but I think she just needs time. You said she was under stress, well that affects her health, perhaps more so because her body's working so hard to keep going. She should be fine soon, I have a good feeling about her, she's a fighter I can tell. Most that come in as far into an infection as she did don't make it. It's a good sign she's stable," I heard her voice say, and before I could catch anything else I fell back under.

"Hey there," I heard Gray say as I opened my eyes, blinking back the pain that the overhead lights brought me.

"Hey," I said harshly through a thick and cottoned mouth.

"You scared the ever loving hell out of me Hanimal," he said, sweeping the hair from my face and tucking it behind my ear.

"I take it my fever wasn't normal?" I asked rhetorically and attempting a smile.

"You were unresponsive. I came home because Lindsay insisted on checking on you, and you wouldn't wake up. I took your temperature like Dr. Reece told me to and it was off the charts, he told me to get you in as fast as I could. I had to call an ambulance," he told me, hanging his head after he told me.

"Hey pretty girl," I heard Lindsay say as she moved to sit on Gray's lap, stroking his head in comfort. Her bright red hair was like a shot of the wake up I needed. She was so cheery and nice, it was infectious.

"I'm sorry I ruined your night," I explained, my eyes drifting off to her left hand, bare and clean of any new hardware.

"How do you feel? Grey hit the call nurse button, they told us to let them know when she woke up," she said, turning and walking to the chair that held their things when her cell phone rang. "I'm sorry I forgot to turn it off," she explained, picking up the pace and hurrying towards her things.

"How long was I out for?" I asked, wondering what day it was. The confusion and disorientation were worse than normal, I felt like someone had pulled me out of my own skin and didn't set me back right.

"Almost five days." He ran a hand through his hair, large bags took the place of his usual bright eyed look. I hated putting them through this.

"I heard Jameson for a little, I kind of was in and out of it though," I said, curious if he visited me or if I was imagining things again.

"He blames himself for what happened, he thinks he was too hard on you."

"He'll come around, it's not anyone's fault, least of all his. I was over the line, bringing Christina into it isn't fair." Just as he was about to talk Lindsay called out his name.

"Grayson, it's your brother," she said, a strange look on her face as she handed him the phone. She moved to sit next to me, stroking my hair into something that was presentable.

"Thank you for checking on me. I should take Dr. Reece's advice and check into hospice, I can't do this to them. Can you help me do it, they never have to know, but I can't let them watch me waste away," I said hoarsely, coughing towards the end as my voice barely came out.

"I can't do that to them, they want to be around. Give them the gift of time," she said, patting my hand and looking to Gray. His whole face had paled, hands balled into fists at his side. She looked to me, eyes strained with the same worry that mine held. He noticed his audience and strolled out of the room, abruptly closing the door behind him.

"He's been getting calls the past two days, non-stop. Henry is blindly ignoring all their warnings, and I hope everyone knows who is to blame if there is an attack." I almost forgot Lindsay was a wolf, she was normally so passive, until it came to the protection of the clan. Every shifter felt a particular sensitivity to their community, and for most it was a fierce protective instinct to keep everyone safe. I saw the predator in her now, eyes gleaming against the prospect of someone intruding into her family, into her clan. Just as I was about to wax something poetic in an attempt to make her laugh, Grayson came barreling into the room. He flung the door open so fast it hit the rubber stop and slammed closed.

"That was Milo, the hound. He traced 80% of the wolves to the northern French territories, the rest are from Mexico," Gray said, staring at me with an open mouth.

"I tried to tell you," I said, the medicine and weakness from the fever not allowing me the victory dance I deserved.

"I bet they were all recently exiled, all rogues from the surrounding wolf clans that border the Lefevre seethe?" I asked, knowing the answer already. Gray nodded, staring at me like I was a fortune teller.

"I don't understand," Lindsay said, standing and looking between the two of us.

"The Lefevre's are planning to take out Eli and my father. If they planned it right, they could have control of the America's in one fell swoop," I explained, feeling lightheaded with all the adrenaline that was weakly trying to course through my blood. "Her father has the wolves do most of the dirty work, keeping his hands as clean as possible. If they don't succeed, example Diego, it can be explained away. They still have the marriage as a backup, with plenty of opportunities to take Eli out later, or convince him to get rid of my father once and for all. Either way, the wolves help take out this clan and throw the heat our way for the attacks on the seethe. It's genius really, even their backup plans have backup plans." The room was spinning a bit, and I had to dig my nails into my leg to keep myself from passing out.

"They want to take out our clan they have to get through us. Henry might be losing it, but the rest of us won't go down without a fight. It's been to long since we have properly hunted Gray, I can't wait," Lindsay said, cracking her fingers and licking her lips. I never wanted to be on her bad side, she was one mean bitch when she was provoked.

"Eli, I have to warn him," I said, noticing that there was a few beeping noises coming from the machines behind me. I heard Gray's cellphone hit the deck, cracking and breaking with harsh sounds on the tile floor.

"You need to calm down love," Gray said, pounding his large finger into the emergency button on the bed frame. "Breathe for me Hannah," he said, grasping my face and pinning it with his hands. "Hannah, don't you dare leave me now," he said, tears streaming down his face. I felt something was wrong, something central and deep within me. The fever never broke, and I could sense the delirium coming for me.

"Tell Jameson I love him, and don't let him name is kid something weird like your parents did. Keep running and teaching, you're doing good work and propose to that woman before she leaves you," I told him smiling. My breaths were coming in short pants, and my vision was blinking in and out.

"Hannah, no, it's...you can't. I'll call Eli okay, I'll tell him all about how you were right and he can come and give you some blood. I know you said it would only prolong things but we can figure something out. I'll get him to come, you just have to hold on until he gets here," he said, voice breaking with emotion as he gulped back the sobs and fumbled with his phone

"Don't call him, he was worth every second but I can't let him see me die. He has had enough death in his life," I said, feeling the little black lines encroach on my vision.

"Let her go Gray," Lindsay said, pulling Gray towards her and locking her arms around him. It took me a moment to realize she was restraining him, not embracing him like I first thought. The nurses and doctors came streaming in when the machines behind me kept a frantic pace of noises.

"Call Reece in here, she's coding," I heard a nurse say. It was a painless feeling now, a disconnected and disjointed sensation of my brain leaving my body. I heard someone calling my name, a low tone of desperation that shook my resolve.

"You can't do that. We have humans here and she doesn't want it," I heard Lindsay hiss as she struggled to contain Gray. I saw Jameson and Christina enter the room, surprisingly both faces looked horrified at what they were walking into.

"No," I heard Jameson say near me, but my vision was so blurry I couldn't make out where he was standing. "No, no, we had more time. Dr. Reece said a year," he repeated a few times, like it would fix me.

"We can try, you know we can," Gray begged his brother.

"No," I whispered out, knowing it was so low only they could hear it. "Tell Eli I think I loved him," I said, feeling my heart stutter and give out. Then I died.

I awoke in what I instantly knew wasn't a normal dimension. I couldn't begin to explain how I knew that, but the sensation wasn't something I could easily ignore. There was a lack of something where I was standing, like the natural laws that my body was familiar with simply didn't exist here.

I did, however, instantly realize where I was. It was my family's house, the place that I grew up in, and I was currently standing on the deck, overlooking the wooded lot behind the house. Everything looked like I had remembered it, even the deck chairs looked the same. I heard a noise for behind me, and I spun around, hoping against hope that it wasn't going to be my parents staring back at me.

I was met with two complete strangers. They looked in their late teens and obviously twins, with long chocolate brown hair and long black dresses that swept the floor. They were smiling at me, both of the women had almost giddy expressions on their faces. I looked around again, assuming I had to be in some sort of dream again. I was confused, I thought I was dead, I was sure that I had died.

"Welcome to the Veil," I heard one of them say, her voice echoing and singsong like, but as she delivered her words she seemed to sputter and chortle back a laugh.

"You told me you weren't going to go dramatic Evaline, it's so been done before. We have to be original," the other one said to her sister.

"You take all the fun out of it Madeline, why can't I play it up. She's our first real charge, I don't want to short her the full Veil experience," she said, winking at me and coughing to continue her speech.

"Welcome Hannah Katherine Porter, again," Evaline said, holding out her arms for, a hug?

"I'm in the Veil, doesn't that mean I'm dead?" I blurted out. Shifting from one foot to the other, I wrung my hands and scanned the woods. I felt like someone was watching me from out there. If I stood still long enough I could catch the stream of yellow light their eyes left behind.

"You must die to reach this place, as you have once before," Madeline said, looking at me with open curiosity.

"You mean when I was born?" I asked like an idiot. When else would I have died?

"Yes, and now you have returned. Unlike the last time, this time you come to us not of your own will." She looked slightly affronted about this fact, as if I had gravely wounded her.

"I was an infant the first time, how could I have traveled her of my own will?" I asked, swaying where I stood. There was something watching me from the woods, I could the other trees shaking in agitation of something.

"You were strong even then, I remember looking at you when you popped into the circle. Usually the babies scream something awful, but you looked my sister and I and cooed, reaching out your hands for us. A selection like that hasn't occurred in over a millennia, no less from a baby. We've become something of a celebrity amongst the other Guards," Madeline told me, making no more sense than she had earlier, but standing proud as a parent would.

"I'm sorry I must be hallucinating. I should be dead, I died," I said like a moron, stuck on the fact that I should be at peace. All those stories and movies describe this wonderful place, with angels and clouds and no pain. Yet here I stood, talking to two certifiable women with a shooting pain going through my chest.

"Yes you did, and that is how we come to you. This has never been successfully done, it's a good thing you picked us those thirty years ago Hannah. We are strong enough to come to you, isn't that awesome!" Madeline said, getting a poke in the ribs from Evaline when she finished.

"Don't say awesome, it makes you look old," she chided, winking at me and then smiling gracefully at her sister.

"What do you mean? I think I need to sit down," I exclaimed, feeling like my legs were going to give out at any second. Evaline rushed forward and caught me before I fell, cradling my head to her like I would break. Even though she looked far smaller than me, she lifted me right up in her arms and the three of us walked towards the deck chairs. She placed me in my own, sitting with her sister on the far side.

"I do not think we have much time here Hannah, so I will be brief. We are Guards of the Veil, we maintain the balance form this world to the next. Sometimes, when the fates allow it, those that die come to us to be saved or reborn. When you were a baby you came to us, and we saved you from your intended fate. It is a rare thing to be saved, and not reborn. We saw something in you, my sister Evaline gets glimpses of the future, and your role to play in it will bring honor to your house as well as us. You were meant for great things Hannah, great and sometimes terrible things, but you are strong enough to endure it all. This time, we came to you, knowing you were not strong enough to remember our part in your life, and return to us on your own. So now, dear sweet child, we traveled a long way to offer you a chance to make yourself whole," she said as a strange dark light grew under their skins. Glimpses of their true from sneaking out, they were two large black wolves, with blood red eyes and thick flowing coats. I almost fell out of my seat when they dropped their glamour for a moment, I had never in all my days seen wolves so large.

"Whole?" I asked, swallowing hard when I noticed the third large black wolf slowly making its way towards us. The sisters exchanged worried glances and then leaned in to speak to me.

"You must decide, we can make you whole, or we can send you to Valhalla. You deserve the rest, the peace it can bring is unparalleled. But you also deserve a chance to live life as you should," Evaline said as he sister stood, changing suddenly fully into her wolf. They exchanged a glance which ended in a nod, and Madeline advanced towards the end of the deck.

What kind of a choice is that, if this was all in head, if it was just a dream maybe my brain was trying to tell me something. Maybe it it was my body trying to tell me to fight, or to give up and finally stop fighting. I heard another noise and Madeline and the other larger wolf growled at each other, fur standing on end as they circled one another.

"Hannah, we don't have much time. You must decide," Evaline said, nervously glancing behind her every so often to her sister.

"What does my future look like?" I asked, stalling for more time. The sensation of pain was spreading, running hot pricks down my arms and legs.

"Oh Hannah, it could be glorious. Full of everything you wanted, everything a woman such as you deserves. But it will be a continuous fight, with nothing handed to you. You alone are the one strong enough to take what is yours, you alone are the one brave enough to stand for what you want to claim. I do not begrudge you some peace, you have earned that through your struggles. But you can have more, I can make you strong enough to take whatever you want. We can't hold him back for long Hannah, just choose darling girl and know I am proud of you," she said as the escalating fighting and snarling noises overcame my ears. I felt my arm going numb, and when I tried to shake it, nothing happened. I closed my eyes and I saw his face, so strong and capable. And there I was, standing next to him proud and tall and healthy, holding my own by his side. When I opened them, I realized the image came from Evaline, and she held her finger up to her mouth, letting me know it was for me alone to experience. I knew what I wanted to do, even before she showed me.

"I choose to be whole, and accept what comes with that. If this is real, then I chose well that night thirty years ago," I said as the wolves behind us stopped fighting. They stared at me, a wolfish grin still visible on Madeline's face.

"Robsin, she has chosen you," Evaline said, standing tall with a tear rolling down the side of her face. A look of pity crossed her beautiful visage as she looked to me. He was making his way towards me, a recognizable expression of pure hunger in his beady eyes.

"Wait, what is going on?" I asked, standing and falling backwards as I tried to retreat away from the menacing wolf that was advancing in my direction.

"Robsin is here to deliver you back to your world, though we will miss you we will not be far from you. We guide your dreams, to steer you true, and if you look hard enough you'll see us smiling and cheering you on. Keep close to Elijah, he alone is your equal, and don't back down for anything. The fates made you so that others would bend to your will, and now they will. As it should have been all along," Evaline said just as the wolf took his first bite.


End file.
